The Adventures of Priscilla Night
by Spirited Mare
Summary: What makes a hero? Is it someone born to be great? Or someone who's to learn to be great? Priscilla Night has the power to change everything. Having had the most sheltered of upbringings, she's about to swap ironed lining for soaked through tents, and elegant heels for muddy combat boots. You don't know how strong you are until being strong is the only option left. Lennox/OC
1. Chapter 1: Life of luxury?

**Updated A/N(5th of July 2013): Hello to everyone out there. This is just a note to say that I do intend to re-write the first few chapters, as I'm no longer satisfied with the quality. If you can bear with it, I promise the style and technique picks up soon. Thanks guys. I love you readers, thisssssssssssssss much :)**

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own transformers. The only things that I own are Priscilla, Ice, minor characters and the storyline. (I've not seen the 3rd film so if the plot to that is similar to this It's not intentional)**

Chapter 1:

_Priscilla watched the battle from the relative safety of an abandoned building. She knew she could do a much better job than most of these half wit soldiers; which was why she was so annoyed that Lennox had made her stay here. _

_Priscilla felt the ground shake beneath her. The door was blasted open and a huge metal hand reached inside. Stifling a shriek, Priscilla backed away from it, but hit a concrete wall. The hand grabbed her round the waist and pulled her out of the building. It began to move back to where it appeared from, with Priscilla kicking and screaming all the way. _

"_Let go of me! I said, let go!" Priscilla screamed at it._

_The Decepticon completely ignored her. _

"_You worthless hunk of transforming scrap, PUT ME DOWN!" _

_When she still got no response, something inside Priscilla told her now was the time. She closed her eyes and concentrated on a rather satisfying image of the Decepticon being burnt to the ground. _

_Then Priscilla felt tendrils of heat licking her bare skin and she knew it was working. As the Decepticon loosened it's grip, Priscilla jumped. She hit the ground with a force that knocked the wind out of her, but she scrambled quickly to her feet and ducked behind a building. The Decepticon exploded as the fire reached its internal systems, and fell to the ground near to where Priscilla was hiding. _

_Jumping out of her hiding place, Priscilla got out the way of the burning parts. She moved stealthily, trying to get back to where she'd originally been; but that was harder than it sounded. Another Decepticon managed to find her._

_**This is it,** Priscilla thought. **I'm going to die here in the middle of a desert, where no one cares. I hope Lennox survives, I wish I could have said something to him, to let him know how I feel. I wish I hadn't been so rude to him when he locked me in that building, he was only trying to keep me safe. This is the end.**_

_Tears cascaded down Priscilla's cheeks as the Decepticon advanced towards her..._

6 months earlier

Priscilla woke to the sound of her designer alarm clock. She climbed out of bed and made her way to her on suite bathroom. Priscilla took her nightdress off and sank into the massage tub. She let the hot jets of water firmly pull her out of her morning dose. Pressing the waterproof buzzer on the side of the tub, Priscilla sank down beneath the bubbles to hide herself. Miss Buckley, her personal assistant, opened the door and walked in.

"Good morning, Miss Night. How may I be of assistance?" Miss Buckley greeted her.

"I'd like my breakfast bringing up for me." Priscilla replied.

"Of course." Miss Buckley replied. She was well used to Priscilla's bluntness and lack of manners, so it never bothered her any more.

Within minutes Miss Buckley returned with a tray laden with delicious food: French toast, omelette with herbs and fresh orange juice.

"You may leave." Priscilla said curtly.

Miss Buckley nodded and left Priscilla to eat her breakfast by herself. As she delicately eat her toast, Priscilla thought about how she could fill the rest of her day. As her father was extremely rich, Priscilla didn't work so she was often bored. Not that she'd ever get off her high horse and go to work. Oh no, she enjoyed having the day to herself, even if that day was sometimes rather dull.

Priscilla dressed in her best jodhpurs and went down to her fathers horse stables. She saddled up one of the mares and took her out for a gallop round the estate. She jumped all the cross country jumps and when she finally got back Priscilla's cheeks were flushed, but she was properly grinning for the first time in a while.

"What are you doing?" a stable hand shouted at her.

He ran over and grabbed the horse off Priscilla. Her wide grin faded and her signature stuck up look replaced it.

"I am riding a horse. What does it look like?"

"This mare was supposed to be giving a lesson today. She has done far to much work already!"

"Do I look like I actually care? I can have you fired at a whim, so I'd shut up and get on with your job if I were you."

The stable hand nodded and shuffled off. Priscilla sighed heavily. What a great start to the day; pathetic staff bossing her around. Did they even know who she was? She didn't need to worry about her fathers reaction, he was always far to busy making more money to notice what she did.

Priscilla was on her way back up to the mansion when she stopped dead. Sitting there, on the drive, was a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport: the fastest road car in the world. She pulled her mobile from her pocket in a daze, and rang her first speed dial entry.

"Hello Priscilla." her father answered.

"Hey dad. Have you invested in any cars recently?"

"No, I can't say I have. Any reason to your line of questioning?"

"Well, the new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport on the drive is a bit of a give away."

"What? I haven't brought new car in a few weeks, Priscilla. What are you talking about?"

"The car on the drive, like I just said." Priscilla said slowly.

"Don't take that tone with me madame, I am not the one who is being childish enough to create imaginary cars!"

"Come home and see it for yourself if you don't believe me then!" Priscilla snapped, then hung up.

An hour later, her father pulled up in his Mercedes DB9.

"This better be good, Priscilla. I cancelled an extremely important meeting..." her father trailed off when he set eyes upon the car.

"See what I mean?" she said quietly.

"Yes. Yes I do." her father replied equally quietly.

"Well? What is it doing here? Not that I mind or anything." Priscilla added hastily.

"I don't know." her father said slowly. "Priscilla, excuse me while I make a few calls."

**A/N: Hey everyone. Some of you may notice a few similarities to a story that was up here a week or two ago, called Fire and Ice. I am the same person, but my account went weird and deleted all the stories I had up loaded , so I've re written this story very differently to try and act on some of the comments I got on the original version. I hope this is bit better than the first version. **

**I know it's ended in a slightly weird place, but if I let it this chapter could literary go on forever so I had to end it somewhere, and this seemed the best place. **

**Please review and tell me what you thought! Two of the main problems with the old one was too many OC's having roles that are too big, and my main OC not having a personality, so I hope I've fixed that by making Priscilla a bit 'stuck up' and arrogant, and taking Fire out of the story all together. **

**Oh and one last thing, in my version W. Lennox isn't married and he doesn't have a child. **

**CreativeKazi **

**xx**


	2. Chapter 2: Mysterious super cars

**A/N: Sorry for the wait guys, I've been ill with tonsillitis and I got distracted by some ideas that popped into my head for Harry Potter fanfics. Anyway, enjoy!**

Chapter 2: Mysterious Super Cars

Priscilla nodded and took a few steps back from the mysterious car. It really was a magnificent piece of engineering: it was made of a sleek carbon fibre that helped it cut through the air at over 250mph; it was complete with a stereo, sat nav, air conditioning and many other modern gadgets. Priscilla would love to own a car like this, but her father would never trust her with something this expensive.

Turning round to face her, Priscilla's father put away his mobile.

"Priscilla, if this is a way of getting yourself some attention, please say so."

"It isn't, father. I promise. I had no idea this car was here until I found it a few minutes ago."

"I have talked with the makers, Bugatti, and they have no idea what it is doing here. It truly is a mystery how this car even exists as every Veyron in existence has been accounted for by it's owner."

"So what happens now?"

"Maybe it should be sent back. For testing." A stable hand suggested. Priscilla frowned; she'd never seen him before.

"Shut up." she muttered to him under his breath.

He looked very annoyed at something, but kept quiet.

"So, father, what happens to the car?" Priscilla asked again.

"I think you'll be pleased to know, Bugatti have named us official custodians of it until an explanation is found."

"That's excellent. I'm very pleased." Priscilla grinned widely. It was the second time she'd smiled in a day, she was really on a role. It was just a shame the staff all seemed to have bees in there bonnets about something. Shaking her head to clear her jumbled thoughts, Priscilla lowered herself into the car.

The plush leather in the seats almost melted into her back, and the wheel felt smooth and slick below her manicured fingers. Priscilla turned it this way and that, imagining she was roaring along a country lane at 200mph. She turned the ignition key and the car purred into life, like a cat being stroked in just the right place. Her foot hovered over the accelerator, debating whether or not to throttle it, damn the consequences.

Just as she was about to zoom out of the estate, her father opened the door.

"Priscilla, get out of the car please. I'd like to take it for a test drive."

"Of course." Priscilla put on her fake smile. She may have appeared sweet to her father, but really she was an arrogant self obsessed cow. She only put the act on for him, she wanted to stay daddies best girl for a while longer.

Priscilla got out of the Bugatti with minimal fuss, but stumbled when the ground rushed up to meet her feet. The car was extremely low. Watching her father drive away, Priscilla felt a very weird sensation. Her father didn't deserve to be in the car! It should be her in it, treating the Bugatti with respect. Priscilla felt a burning in the pit of her stomach and she clenched her fists as her father drove away. She was jealous, for the first time in her life. Whatever she wanted, she got, so there was no need to be jealous of anyone. Until now.

Storming off in the opposite direction, Priscilla marched up to the house. Maybe there would be another random sports car parked on the drive? No such luck. Priscilla found herself standing in the giant hallway, completely at a loss as of what to do with herself. She let herself slump down the wall until she was sitting on the cold marble floor.

Priscilla's mobile beeped at her and she pulled it out of her pocket. She had a text from her father. It read:

"This car isn't safe. It keeps spinning and almost had me off the road. I'm returning to the manor."

Before she even realised it, Priscilla was smirking. So her father couldn't handle the supercar? Well, she'd show him how it was done. A car was only as un safe as it's driver, and Priscilla was sure she could handle it.

Hearing the screech of complaining tires, Priscilla dashed out side to meet her father.

"That thing is a death trap. Don't you dare drive it!" he said furiously.

"Okay father." Priscilla said, her fingers crossed like a little school girl's behind her back.

"I'm going inside to retire to my study. I'll see you for dinner at the usual time of 8 o'clock." he said, then walked away.

Once he was out of sight, Priscilla jumped into the Bugatti, pumped life into the engine and floored it. The car exploded out of it's stationary state and raced forwards. Priscilla zoomed down the lanes round where she lived at over twice the legal speed limit. She put the windows down so she could feel the ice cold wind whip her hair into a frenzy. Grinning like an idiot, Priscilla pushed the Bugatti to it's limit, racing round the corners like a Formula 1 driver going for the win.

She heard the crackling sound that told her the telephone line was open.

"Priscilla, get back here now!" her father yelled at her.

"Not a chance!" Priscilla giggled, loving the rebellious feeling it gave her to finally disobey her father.

"Don't make me come after you!" he threatened.

"In what? Nothing can catch the Bugatti!" Priscilla pointed out.

Priscilla hung up before her father could reply, then blocked his number. She knew she'd have hell to pay when she got back, but Priscilla decided it was time to live a little. She spent all her time doing her nails and her hair and eating fancy food at fancy parties, she never just had fun any more. Well, today was an exception. First the horse ride, then this.

Suddenly the car wheel began turning itself, dragging her down a rutty bumpy lane.

"What the?" Priscilla gasped.

The car kept steering itself, not slowing down at all. It turned where there seemed to be no road and smashed through a wood or two. When the car finally stopped, a shaking Priscilla climbed out and began to run. Back home, back to the safety of her room where she would hide and apologise to her father and go back to her boring life. Away from cars that steered themselves.

However, something made Priscilla stop. She turned just for a fraction of a second, and screamed.

**A/N: Hey everyone. Hopefully you like that chapter. I'm not 100% happy with it, but I can't think of a way to improve it. Please review and tell me what you think, it makes me so happy to see people have reviewed my work. If I get 2 positive reviews I'll continue with this. **

**Thanks to everyone who read this, especially Katy Married A Weasley and FORD B, for your kind reviews, they inspired me to write this next chapter! :)**

**CreativeKazi**

**xxx**


	3. Chapter 3: Transforming cars

**A/N: Here's chapter 3. I was amazed and delighted by all the great reviews I got! This chapter is dedicated to FORD B, my first double reviewer :) **

**Disclaimer: Just realised I haven't been doing this for any of my stories so I'm going to go back and add it in. I don't own transformers. The only thing that are mine is Priscilla, Ice, minor characters and the storyline. (I've not seen the 3rd film so if the plot to that is similar to this It's not intentional) **

Chapter 3:

The Bugatti Veyron S.S had been replaced by a huge hulk of a robot. Priscilla realised she hadn't stopped screaming, and it was making her throat ache. She shut up quickly, and ran. Priscilla could see a small wood a few fields away, and she made a beeline for it. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her eyes wide with fear. She didn't want to die. This was the last time she did something rebellious! Her breath was starting to come in painful gasps, Priscilla was pretty unfit; but she kept going. Priscilla reached a huge hedge and stared at it for a moment. How on earth was she supposed to get by it? Glancing behind her, she saw the robot was a lot closer than she thought.

With a terrified squeal, Priscilla threw herself into the hedge. The thorns scratched at her face and the nettles stung her bare legs and arms. Priscilla hit the floor with a thud that knocked the breath out of her. Scrambling to her feet Priscilla backed up, but hit the main root of the hedge. She turned round and tried to fight her way through the hedge, but the brambles were stubborn and wouldn't move. That meant she had to go back the way she'd came. Which meant facing the robot.

Taking a deep, shaking breath, Priscilla clambered out of the hedge. The robot was waiting for her. It stared at her, and Priscilla stared back, then suddenly ran for it. She took it by surprise, and it took a few seconds before it began to follow her again. Priscilla ran along the hedge, looking for a way to get through. As the hedge thinned out, Priscilla prepared to jump through. Then she felt something solid and metallic close round her waist and pluck her off her feet.

"Hey! Put me down!" Priscilla screamed, squirming like a worm in a bird's beak.

"Do you promise not to run off?" The robot asked.

Priscilla hesitated. She hated to lie, and it had gotten her into this mess in the first place. But it was the only way to escape this killer robot. Well, it hadn't actually killed her yet, but Priscilla was pretty sure it would.

"I promise." Priscilla said smoothly.

The robot nodded and set her down. Priscilla dived into the hedge. She pushed her way through and fell out in a heap the other side. Forcing herself to her feet, Priscilla kept going. The wood was in sight now. If she could just make it she could hide, and call her father. There'd be some pretty serious grovelling involved, but with his contacts he could probably get her an air lift out of the wood. Priscilla reached the wood and climbed up into the nearest tree. Sighing in relief, Priscilla relaxed slightly. She yanked her mobile from her pocket, but there was no signal. Priscilla forced herself to stay silent; the urge to scream and throw a full on tantrum was almost overwhelming.

Priscilla watched as the robot met up with three others: a canary yellow one, a silver one and a purple one with red flames on it's side. She could just about here what they were saying.

"Where is she?" the silver one growled in annoyance.

"I don't know." the original robot, which was ice blue, admitted.

"We must find her. She holds the key to everything." the purple one with flames said.

"What if she refuses to help us?" the yellow one asked.

"For her, there is no choice." the purple one said gravely.

Now the adrenalin had stopped pumping, Priscilla was starting to freak out. These great big robots though she 'held the key to everything' and that she had to help them. Not likely! Priscilla was going to go home, take a long bath, and never do anything rebellious again; it was far to dangerous, terrifying, and to be honest, to much effort. She hadn't ran like that since school sports day in Year 3.

Then one of the robots started to move and turn itself inside out. Wheels popped out from it's arms and it managed to concise it's entire body into a purple truck with red flames down one side. Priscilla promptly fell out of her tree and couldn't hold in her yelp of pain as her body hit the hard forest floor.

"Over there! She's over there!" the blue one shouted.

The robots/car things approached the wood at an alarming speed. Priscilla groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of her head. She could feel a bump coming already. The blue robot reached her first and scooped her up.

"Are you okay?" it asked.

"Yes perfectly fine. I was kidnapped by a car that apparently turns into a massive robot, fell out of a tree and now you're either gonna kill me or get me to do some stupid mission for you, then kill me. Yeah, I'm great!" Priscilla said sarcastically.

"This human makes no sense. Bad things have happened to her, yet she says she is fine." the silver one mused.

"I believe it is called sarcasm, Ironhide." the truck turned back into a robot. "It's when a human says the opposite of what they really mean."

"Weird human." the silver one decided.

"You can talk! You're a freaking robot!" Priscilla shouted at the silver one.

It glared at her, then it's arms turned into cannons, which it pointed threateningly at her.

"Ironhide, relax. She means you no harm." the purple one said.

The silver one, Ironhide, mumbled something which sounded like "Not a robot..."

"What are you, then?" Priscilla asked.

"My name is Optimus Prime. This is Bumblebee" he pointed at the yellow robot, "Ironhide, my weapons expert." he pointed at the silver robot, "and Ice" he indicated the sky blue robot. "We are Autobots, we originally come from the planet Cybertron, but our ancient feud with the Decepticons lead to our planet being destroyed as we fought for control over it. The Decepticons have came to earth many times, for various reasons, all there plans ending in the earth being destroyed. Every time, we have defeated them with help from the humans. Now the Decepticons threaten to destroy everything. A new leader has risen through the ranks, Termination. He plans on building a Destruction Engine. If he succeeds, he will use it to destroy earth as revenge against the humans who are allied with the Autobots."

Priscilla gasped. The world was going to end! Just because some stupid soldiers had stuck there noses into an alien battle!

"But I'm not a soldier. I don't know how to fight. I sit at home all day thinking how much better I am than everyone else! Why are you telling me this? I can't help you!" Priscilla started to get hysterical.

"When we learned of Termination's plans, we also learned of a person who has the power to destroy us in the blink of an eye. The Decepticons' want to use this person to there advantage, or if they refuse they will kill this person. This person is you." Optimus Prime explained.

"No! You've got the wrong person! I haven't got some mystical power! I just want to go home!" Priscilla said, tears falling down her face.

"The human is leaking! Call Ratchet!" Ironhide shouted.

"I'm not leaking!" Priscilla shouted back. "And what is a Ratchet?"

"Ratchet is my medical expert, like a human Doctor." Optimus Prime told her.

"Wait a minute. Where is my Bugatti?" Priscilla suddenly remembered her car, which had gone missing in all this transforming madness. Wait a minute. Her car had been sky blue, rather like Ice. Priscilla turned to glare at Ice.

"It's you, isn't it?"

Ice nodded, then turned to Optimus Prime.

"Optimus, let her go home. She looks terrified. I'll keep an eye on her, make sure she's safe. I'm sure she'll come round."

"We haven't got time!" Ironhide argued. "You heard her, she can't even fight! She needs training!"

"I agree with Ice. A day or two won't make any difference." Bumblebee said.

"Agreed. What is your name?" Optimus asked, looking at Priscilla.

"Priscilla Night." she said haughtily.

"Priscilla, Ice will take you home for tonight, where you can think things over. We will return tomorrow." Optimus said, then he, Bumblebee and a reluctant looking Ironhide left.

"I need to put you down so I can change into a Bugatti." Ice explained. "Please, don't run off!"

Priscilla nodded, and stayed put when Ice put her down. The huge Autobot concised itself into the Bugatti, and the door next to Priscilla opened.

As if on que, her father appeared round the corner in one of his many super cars, a Ferrari Enzo.

"What on earth do you think your doing?" he yelled when he saw Priscilla.

A/N: Thank you so so so much to all those who reviewed the previous chapter: EthanPrime21, Noella50881, XxLizelle2013xX, FORD B and DreamBigCreateBigger. It means so much to me that so far everyone likes the story and wants me to continue with it! It inspires me to keep writing! Please review this chapter, even if you've reviewed before!


	4. Chapter 4: Girl Power

**A/N: Chapter 4, woop woop! This is officially my longest story I've done for fanfic! This chapter is dedicated to Noella50881, as they asked me if there was a car chase. I wasn't planning on putting one in this chapter, but I put a little mini one in for Noella50881. Don't worry, they'll be a proper one later on! **

Chapter 4: Girl power

"Hello father." Priscilla said, pretending nothing had happened.

"What do you think your doing?" he thundered. "Taking my new Bugatti, driving it into the middle of a field!"

"Oh, well, I, urmm..." Priscilla couldn't think of anything to say.

"Answer me!" he yelled.

Priscilla took a few hesitant steps back. She'd never seen her father this angry. It scared her almost as much as what Optimus had told her. He strode towards Priscilla and grabbed the top of her jumper, pulling her face close to his. His eyes looked almost red with rage, his fists clenching tightly.

"You tell me what is going on, now!"

Ice's front door sprung open and knocked into Priscilla's father. Priscilla stepped neatly to one side and he went sprawling into the mud. Priscilla dived into the open Bugatti, scrambling to start the car. She needn't have bothered, Ice started up and sped away from Priscilla's father, who was slowly getting to his feet.

"Go to the mansion!" Priscilla urged Ice.

However, when they reached Priscilla's home Ice kept driving.

"Ice! Stop!" Priscilla shouted.

The electronic display flashed into life and words began to scroll across in small blue writing:

"Your father is coming after us. We must get him off our tail, your home is the first place he will look."

Priscilla was about to argue; he was her father, he couldn't be a danger to them, could he? Then she remembered the mad gleam in his eyes as he'd grabbed her, and shuddered. What was wrong with him? He would never act like this normally.

"Ice, can the Deceptidoodars control people? My father never acts like that."

"I don't know. I've never heard of it happening, but I suppose it's possible."

As they entered the town, Ice had to slow up. They weaved there way through the narrow alley ways, trying to loose themselves. But Priscilla soon heard the roar of the Ferrari. Ice picked up speed, dodging other cars at unbelievable speed. The Ferrari followed Ice's every move, sticking to them like glue. Ice suddenly veered to the left, the Ferrari tried to do the same, but scraped the wall and had to carry on down the main road.

Ice crashed straight into what seemed to be a wall, but it was so moulded and rotten it gave way and let them through. They burst into an abandoned warehouse, where Ice parked up. Priscilla climbed out while Ice changed into an Autobot. She walked over to one of the windows and peered out. The Ferrari was no where to be seen.

"I think we've lost them." Priscilla said.

"Think again!" A deep voice said from behind them.

Priscilla and Ice spun around to face another robot. This one was a dark silver colour, and seemed to be made of lots of tiny bits of metal instead of solid colour blocks like the Autobots. It ran straight for Ice, who pushed it to one side as it collided with her. The other robot, which Priscilla assumed was a Decepticon, rushed Ice again, who dodged and watched it hurtle in to a solid metal support. The whole building began to shake. Scared, Priscilla cowered behind another metal support. She watched as the two gigantic machines pushed and punched and tried to get the other one on the floor. They were pretty evenly matched. They had each others arms pinned down so neither could use there gun attachments.

Even though she was terrified, Priscilla knew she had to do something. If Ice lost, the Decepticon would take her and try and get her to use this so called power that she didn't have. When she didn't give them what they wanted, they'd kill her. Then Priscilla realised, it was blindingly obvious. She was supposed to be able to destroy one of these huge metal menaces without a second thought, so why didn't she just do that to the Decepticon battling Ice?

Priscilla sat down and tried to clear her mind of all other thoughts. She concentrated on an image of the Deception lying in a rusted heap. She concentrated so hard she gave herself a headache, but when she opened one eye, the fight was still raging on, the Decepticon looking perfectly fine.

_I knew it! These stupid robot's have got it all wrong! I don't have powers! And now I'm going to die for it! I really wish everyone could be as smart as me, then I wouldn't be in this mess! _Priscilla thought angrily.

Then she heard a deafening bang, and saw the Decepticon crash to the floor. Ice had finally wrenched her arm out of it's grip and shot it in the head with her machine gun.

"Come on! This building's coming down!" Ice yelled, holding her hand out for Priscilla to climb onto.

Priscilla hesitated. What if Ice tripped and squeezed her to death? Then a huge piece of roof caved in behind her, and her mind was made up. Clambering up onto Ice's hand, Priscilla gripped tightly to her metallic fingers. Ice dashed through the factory, the roof falling in behind her. Ice kept a few metres ahead of the collapsing roof, but Priscilla could tell this was as fast as she could go. As they rounded a corner, Priscilla could see a dead end ahead.

"Ice! Look ahead!" she yelled.

"I know!" Ice yelled back.

"Oh my god Ice! Tell me your not doing what I think your doing!"

"We don't have a choice. This factory is 4 stories high, if it comes down on of we'll be crushed instantly!"

"But we're on the second floor! Oh god, help me." Priscilla muttered under her breath, as Ice smashed into the factory wall. This one wasn't as forgiving as the first one. Priscilla tucked her head under to stop it being taken off by the bricks flying in all directions. As Ice flew out the other side, they dropped like a rock. She fell to the floor with a sickening crunch, but got up almost straight away.

"Priscilla! Are you all right?"

Priscilla uncurled herself, and inspected her body. She had some cuts and scrapes, and she ached all over. She'd have some pretty bad bruises the next day, but as far as she could tell she hadn't broken anything.

"I think so." Priscilla's voice shook.

"I'm sorry. You were supposed to go home to get away from this madness so you could think about what Optimus told you. Instead I almost got you killed." Ice hung her head.

"It's not your fault." Priscilla surprised herself by being nice. "It was that Deceptidoodar. He has a nerve, attacking you! But you showed him!"

"Thanks. Girl power!" Ice weakly attempted bravado.

"Are you the only female Autobot?" Priscilla asked curiously.

"Yes. I'm also the first." Ice replied.

"Wow. Your pretty cool, for a giant robot that turns into a car." Priscilla grinned.

"Thanks. I suppose you don't want me to tell anyone about the nice conversation we just had?"

"No. You're just a pathetic robot thing anyway, you wouldn't dare." Priscilla said, but Ice wasn't fooled any more. This girl may act like a total stuck up cow, but behind the mask, she was something else entirely.

"We should go, before any more Decepticons find us." Ice said.

"But where? I don't think I'm ready yet, I want to have one more night of normality." Priscilla admitted.

"A hotle?" Ice suggested,

"Do you mean a hotel?" Priscilla giggled.

"Yep, that's the one. Well, is that okay?"

"As long as it's five star. I don't want to associate with the low life's."

"What about 'The Ritz'?"

"You can actually get me in there?" Priscilla squealed excitedly.

"Yeah, course I can. I can hack there computers now if you like."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"Hot out." Ice muttered.

"It's chill out." Priscilla said.

"Right, whatever." If a robot could have blushed, Ice would have done.

Being a technical genius, Ice had booked Priscilla into one of the grandest suites The Ritz had to offer. Priscilla waltzed up to the receptionist like she owned the place, stated her name and demanded her keys. The receptionist was obviously used to Priscilla's type as she seemed completely at ease. After she'd checked the details on her laptop, she handed Priscilla the keys.

"It's on the third floor, at the bottom of the corridor. It's our most private suite. Enjoy your stay." she finished with a little bow.

Priscilla nodded and headed for the lifts. This was definitely top of the range, The Ritz was living up to her expectations so far. The lift was decorated with elegant gold framework and a plush deep grey carpet. She stepped out on the third floor. This was where all the suites were, which meant lots of people with money to burn. Priscilla made her way down to the end of the corridor. The last door was a deep mahogany, with 24 written in swirling gold writing on a silver plaque. There was a 24 on her key, so Priscilla assumed this was where she would be staying for the night.

Unlocking the door, Priscilla strode in. She didn't expect to find a soldier sitting on her bed. He had short brown hair that lay untamed on his head and chocolate brown eyes. He was dressed in light brown and beige khaki gear, and had a gun slung over his backpack.

Priscilla stared.

"Urrm, hi."

Priscilla stared.

"The Autobots think your in danger, so I'm supposed to keep an eye on you while you have your last night of luxury. Why you're getting all this, I don't know. Standard procedure would be to just take you with us back to the NEST base now." he sounded pretty miffed at that.

"Yeah well, I'm not a standard kind of girl. Who the hell are you, by the way?"

"Major William Lennox, captain of a special ops team working along side the Autobots." he replied. "And you are?"

_Oh, excellent. _Priscilla thought._ He's one of those dumb ass soldiers who wound up the Deceptidoodars and is gonna get the world destroyed. _

"My name is Priscilla Night. And that is the end of this conversation. I am so not in the mood to talk someone who has doomed the world."

With that, she climbed into the bed and switched the light off, leaving Lennox staring at her, at a loss as for what to say.

**A/N: Yippee, 4 great reviews! DreamBigCreateBigger, I wasn't gonna add him in until the next chapter, but I decided to put him in now as I just love him too much to leave him out any longer! Thanks to the reviewers of the last chapter: collizy, Noella50881, FORD B, and DreamBigCreateBigger. **

**Pretty please review, for me? Reviews are like chocolate, you just can't get enough! :)**

**CreativeKazi **

**xxxx**


	5. Chapter 5: Flashback

**A/N: Hey everyone, I know that I haven't updated this in a while, but I keep getting ideas for other fanfics and whenever I try to write this is sounds forced and silly. Reviewer shout outs at the end! :D**

**Disclaimer:I don't own transformers. The only things that I own are Priscilla, Ice, Termination, minor characters and the storyline. (I've not seen the 3rd film so if the plot to that is similar to this It's not intentional)**

**Dedication: to collizzy, for there inspiring and kind hearted reviews, they fill me with happiness! **

Chapter 5:

The next morning, Priscilla was woken up by Lennox shaking her. She glared at him, then rolled back over. His hand had still been on her shoulder and was squashed under her body. She smiled to herself, satisfied, when she felt him try struggle to free his hand. Yes, she was being hunted by transforming evil robots, but why not enjoy life's perks?

"Miss Night, please move." he said after a moment, exasperated.

"It's Priscilla, and I'm far too tired to move." Priscilla declared.

"You just slept for 10 hours!"

"And your point is..?"

Lennox yanked his arm hard and pulled his hand out from underneath her.

"You have 10 minutes to get ready." he said, then left.

Sighing, Priscilla crawled out of her king-sized bed and flopped towards the bathroom. She had a quick shower and shampooed her hair until it shone, then towelled herself dry. She put talc on her legs and rubbed hand lotion into her arms and palms; then Priscilla stopped dead. She had no fresh clothes! Wearing what she'd wore the day before was unacceptable, so she made her way out wrapped in her towel.

"ICE!" she yelled from the window.

"Morning Priscilla." Ice said and made her way over.

"I need fresh clothes! Go and get my clothes and make up from my house!" Priscilla ordered.

"From what I've been told about human culture, that is no way to treat a friend. Ask nicely." Ice said, enjoying herself.

"Urghh! We have no time for this!"

"Did you seriously just stamp your foot? I thought that was just in movies. And we have all the time in the world."

"Ice, could you get my clothes?" Priscilla winced as she spoke to the Autobot like an equal.

"Magic word?"

"Please?"

"Okay! Bbb!"

Ice dashed off, leaving Priscilla giggling to herself at Ice's terrible grasp on teenage dialogue. She went back into the bathroom ad brushed and flossed her teeth, brushed her hair out and washed her face again to get the previous days make up properly off. She didn't know why she making such an effort for this soldier she barely knew, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

"It's been 10 minutes, are you ready?" Lennox shouted from the corridor.

"I will be soon!" Priscilla promised rashly.

Ice soon returned with a suitcase full of Priscilla's things. Priscilla pulled it through the open window and un zipped it. Ice had packed for all occasions; inside was her favourite real fur coat, two pairs of denim mini shorts, two pairs of jeans, a pair of jeggings, a pair of joggers, at least fifteen different tops for all weather conditions, three cardigans, a hoodie, two cocktail dresses, her favourite pale pink ball gown, her very short purple strapless dress, four pairs of heels, her old pumps and her army style heeled boots.

Priscilla grabbed a pair of jeans, her pink leopard print top and grey long cardigan. She rushed into the bathroom and changed. She applied light foundation, mascara and lip gloss. She flicked her hair out from under her top and checked her image out. She looked pretty good: her rich brown hair lay in perfect layers down her shoulders, her skin tone was a pale rose pink, and she had a smattering of freckles over her nose, her plump lips curled into her famous smirk.

_Not like that's anything new for me,I have a good fashion sense I am rather pretty. _Priscilla thought, unashamed of her vanity.

Priscilla pulled on her smallest plain black heels.

"Right Miss Knight, we are leaving!" Lennox marched into the room and picked her up bridal style.

"Hey!" she squealed. He wouldn't put her down, so Priscilla kicked him where the sun doesn't shine. He dropped her and clutched himself, eyes squeezed shut in pain. Priscilla got to her feet and glared at him.

"You do NOT pick me up. Let's go." she grabbed her suitcase then pushed the soldier towards the door and he led her out of the hotel without another word.

They kept walking until they reached the silver car, Ironhide. Lennox put Priscilla's trunk in the boot and got in the drivers side. Priscilla climbed into the passengers seat and looked straight ahead. Once they'd put there seat belts on, Ironhide roared into life and whisked them away. They drove for a long time, until they reached an airport.

They checked in then sat in the departure lounge for a while. Eventually Lennox broke the awkward silence.

"Those are some pretty lethal heels. And way too high." he added disapprovingly.

"They're two inches high." Priscilla said witheringly. "And I'm not taking advice on what I wear from a guy who has doomed my life." she added in her typical over dramatic style.

"Look, just lay off, okay? Don't you think I feel guilty enough as it is?" Lennox snapped suddenly.

Priscilla sunk back into her chair and nodded. She felt a pang of sympathy for this soldier: he'd saved so many people so many times, and now the Decepticons were back to end life as we know it because they don't do defeat very well, and here she was blaming him. It was his fault in a way, but he clearly knew it, and felt awful about it. Priscilla considered apologising, then caught herself quickly.

_What is wrong with me? All these stupid emotions getting in my way! It's his fault the world is going to end and I'm feeling sorry for him and considering being almost nice! Being around these aliens is turning me loopy, I don't do nice. I do snappy and sarcastic, arrogant and over dramatic, stuck up and stubborn. _Priscilla thought angrily.

Standing up suddenly, Priscilla headed for a designer shoe store near by. She buried herself in Jimmy Choo's and 5th Avenue, trying to forget her lapse in judgement, and the possibility she was going soft. Priscilla shuddered, what a disturbing thought! In the end she bought leopard skin peep toes and some rose pink 5th Avenue ones with stretching pink straps. Priscilla sat back down next to Lennox and glared at the floor, determined not to look at him. If she did, she might do something ridiculous, like say she was sorry.

Luckily for Priscilla, at 10.35 Lennox randomly stood and motioned for her to follow him. She did so without protest, lost in her thoughts. They boarded a small private plane, and buckled up. Priscilla purposely sat far enough away from Lennox that she could relax. She felt very uncomfortable around him, like she'd let a huge secret slip without realising. It was ironic, but the closer she got towards her destiny, and this saving the world gig, the closer she got to losing everything. If she let her walls down for just a minute, it would all be over. Priscilla could remember it all as if it happened yesterday:

_4 years ago:_

"_Don't open your eyes!" _

"_Why not?" Priscilla wined. _

"_Just don't! It'll ruin it!" _

_Priscilla was led to a large disco hall, decorated by banners saying: "Happy 16th, Priscilla !". Jeanne led her friend through the double doors, and down a long corridor to the party room. Priscilla didn't know any of this at the time, because she had her eyes firmly shut as Jeanne's request. When Jeanne opened another door, Priscilla was hit by a deafening sound of screams, giggling, and people yelling: "Happy Birthday!" _

_Opening her eyes, Priscilla grinned at her friends. A surprise party, she should have known! Priscilla joined her friends dancing and moving to the beat, having an amazing time. She found her boyfriend, Taylor, and when a slow song came on, they danced together. She had her arms round his neck, his hands on her waist. He looked unsure of something, but Priscilla was too blissed out to notice. She loved him so much, and this was the most perfect party ever. When the next dance track came on, Priscilla rejoined her friends; she found her closest mate Deborah, known as Deb. The pair danced and giggled and laughed, but Deb seemed a bit distracted,and kept looking at Taylor. Again, Priscilla didn't notice. _

_About half an hour later, Priscilla noticed that Deb and Taylor were missing. She scanned the dance floor for them, but they were no where to be found. She didn't suspect anything was going on, they'd probably snuck out to get some alcohol or something. So when she opened the door to a private room, she didn't expect to see them all over each other, kissing like they'd die if they had to stop. _

"_What the hell are you doing!" Priscilla screamed, her hands forming fists. _

_Taylor and Deb jumped away from each other, looking guilty for a second. Then Taylor began to laugh, it was cold and cruel, like nothing Priscilla had ever heard before. Deb joined in, and Priscilla felt hot tears prickling her cheeks. _

"_This has been going on for moths and it took you till now to notice!" Deb cackled. _

"_Your my best friend! How could you do to this to me?" Priscilla said, her voice breaking. _

"_'Cuz you're thick and young and gullible! You're still a virgin for god's sake!" _

"_You forgot ugly, Love." Taylor spoke up. _

_A piece of Priscilla's heart broke away then, as Taylor called her best friend what he'd once called her. It fell to the floor, leaving a gaping wound in her chest. The hole ached and throbbed, causing sobs to force there way through Priscilla's throat._

_Priscilla ran. She ran until the broke down in the street. Her best friend and her boyfriend. Going on for months, Deb had said. Priscilla screamed and cried as an agony she'd never known swallowed her up and made her feel worthless and pathetic. That was when she knew. She could never let anyone else in. Never again. The rare happy moments were not worth this. Priscilla put up the walls that until this day, no one had broken down. She felt no emotion, she went through her life void of feeling. It was just so much easier. No gain, but no pain. _

Priscilla curled herself up and cried. She made sure it was silently, all she needed was fuss. The tears would stop, and then Priscilla Knight who snapped and teased and thought she was better than everyone else would be back.

"Miss Knight?" Lennox asked, bending over her. "Are you all right?"

"Perfectly fine." she said bitterly.

How could it hurt this much after four years? Would the pain never end? Priscilla turned away from Lennox's caring and worried face, trying to ignore him. Maybe if she pretended he didn't exist, she could keep her walls in place a little longer.

**A/N: Chapter 5! Wow, I wrote that quick! It flowed really easily, and hopefully it was okay! The last chapter was a little slow, so I've tried to put more into this one. Plus, a bit more Lennox, which can't be a bad thing as far as I'm concerned! Oh dear, I am obsessed with that soldier boy :) You know you want to, please review, for me? **

**Thanks to Noella50881, collizzy, FORD B, DreamBigCreateBigger and**

**justiceintheworldofhp-yearight for your great reviews! **

**CreativeKazi**

**xxxx**


	6. Chapter 6: NEST

**A/N: Chapter 6 is here! That's all I've got to say really :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own transformers. The only things that I own are Priscilla, Ice, Termination, minor characters and the storyline. (I've not seen the 3rd film so if the plot to that is similar to this It's not intentional)**

**Dedication: **

Chapter 6:

Stepping off the plane, Priscilla was hit by a wave of heat. She blinked and shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. She followed Lennox over to a huge bunker. Inside were rows and rows of tables and benches, where khaki clad soldiers were sat. Standing at the front was Optimus Prime.

"-to activate the destruction Engine, they need Miss Night."

The soldiers looked at each other in confusion, whereas Lennox just stared at Priscilla in shock.

"Without her powers, the Destruction Engine is useless. Therefore, she will be staying at this base, where she is protected from the Decepticons."

Priscilla blinked rapidly, and slumped in her seat. So that was why the Decepticons wanted her. Because this power she had that could kill them could also be used activate the machine that would destroy the world. The meeting seemed to be dismissed as the soldiers began to file out of the hanger. She walked over to where Optimus was standing and glared at him.

"Where am I staying?" She snapped. 

"With the soldiers, in the army barracks."

"Don't be ridiculous. I am not staying with soldiers!"

"I'm sorry, that's the only way we can be sure of your safety, Miss Night."

"For the last time, I am not sleeping in the barracks with soldiers! And call me Priscilla."

Before it turned into an argument, Ice changed into her robot form and stepped in.

"Why doesn't Priscilla sleep in my back seats for tonight until something better is sorted out?" Ice suggested. "She'll be perfectly safe, Optimus."

"I suppose it'll do. For now." Priscilla added hastily, not wanting to sound to grateful. Being grateful could get you friends, and friends would always betray you in the end.

Ice turned back into a car and Priscilla drove her over to the army barracks where she picked up a few sheets and a pillow. Ice parked up in the Autobot Hanger, while Priscilla went for dinner in the Mess Hall. Priscilla took one look at the food on offer and sat down without even taking a tray. The food looked like congealed gloop, nothing like Priscilla would normally eat. She sat down at a table nestled in a corner, well away from the other soldiers.

Priscilla put her head in her hands and considered everything that had happened in the last two days. Her life had been perfectly normal until a supercar had turned up on her drive. Priscilla wished she'd just left it there like her father had told her, then she wouldn't be in this mess of shape shifting aliens and machines that could destroy Earth. Now the Decepticons were after her so she could activate this Engine thing. It made her shudder just to think about what they'd do to her if she refused.

A sudden noise and the table jolting shook Priscilla out of her daydream. Her head snapped up and she saw Lennox had put his tray of food down at her table.

_Oh excellent! I sat here to be left alone! _

"Right. Before you say anything, please call me Priscilla." Priscilla jumped in. Back at her manor she loved being called Miss Night; it made her feel important. Here, it was just annoying.

"Aren't you eating anything?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"I'm not hungry." Priscilla muttered. In fact, she was very hungry, but that food looked like it could give her food poisoning. Her stomach grumbled loudly, betraying her secret.

"Have this." Lennox tossed her an apple.

Having been home schooled and never done P.E in her life, saying Priscilla couldn't catch was an understatement. Reaching out to catch it, she completely missed and it hit her on the head, bounced off and landed in Lennox's dinner. Forgetting her sore head, Priscilla burst out laughing at the sight before her: Lennox doing a good impression of a goldfish while covered in the sloppy excuse for food. Then she realised what she was doing and stopped laughing instantly.

_What the hell am I doing? Whenever I'm near Lennox emotion just bubbles out of me! I can't stop it! Well, I'll just have to avoid him, simple as. _

Without warning Priscilla stood up and marched off, leaving Lennox starring after her. Priscilla kept walking and walking, straight by the Autobot Hanger, out into the hills behind the base. She kept moving and collected herself, taking all the emotion that was spilling to the surface and locking it away deep inside her where no one could see it. Once she was sure she was okay, Priscilla turned around to head back. But when she turned, she couldn't see the base anywhere.

Worried, Priscilla ran to the top of the nearest hill, but even from her high vantage point she couldn't see the base anywhere. Glancing around, Priscilla realised she didn't recognise anything. All the surrounding green hills looked the same.

_Oh god, I've gone and got lost in the middle of no-where! Although it isn't my fault. If Lennox wasn't so... so... oh I don't know, just so, then this wouldn't have happened! _

Priscilla began to walk without any aim. If she stood still she'd never find the base again. She must have walked much father than she thought. A look at her watch told Priscilla it was almost 11 o'clock; it was late and she was completely lost.

The ground under Priscilla's feet began to shake ominously. Priscilla turned round and saw a huge metal robot staring at her. It was a dark grey and made up of lot's of tiny, jagged shards. A Decepticon. Screaming like a mad woman, Priscilla ran blindly away from it. It chased her across the hills, it's large strides eating up the ground. As it's hand reached for her, Priscilla dived to one side. Scrambling to her feet, Priscilla ducked behind a huge boulder.

"You cannot escape. Hand yourself over, and you won't be harmed." It ordered her.

Priscilla was very tempted to do as it said; at least that way it wouldn't hurt her.

_Don't be so selfish! It wants you to activate this Destruction Engine, then Earth will be destroyed. Are you seriously putting yourself before the fate of the world? _A little voice in Priscilla's head shouted at her.

_I'm not selfish! I just don't want to get hurt! _Priscilla shouted back internally.

_Make the right choice then. For once in your self obsessed life, make the right choice. _

Priscilla got up from behind the rock and ran. The Decepticon was taken by surprise and it took a few seconds before it began to chase her again. Priscilla ran down the hill to the bottom of the rocky canyon; she clambered into a cave of some kind and squeezed herself through a tiny gap. She fell head first out the other side, landing in a painful heap. But now was no time to let pain get in the way. It wouldn't be long before the Decepticon worked out where she'd gone so she had to make the most of it.

Picking up a large rock, Priscilla threw it as hard as she could at the Deception's head. The rock missed epicly, and drew it's attention towards Priscilla.

"Damn." she muttered under her breath.

As the hulking transformer advanced on Priscilla, she stumbled and tripped over a rock. Lying on her back, Priscilla tried to move out of the way of the Decepticons's reaching arm. Just as it was about to grab her, a huge metal fist slammed into it's face. The Decepticon took a shaky step backwards, then ran.

Looking up, Priscilla saw Ice, Optimus and Lennox standing over her, glaring at the retreating form of the Decepticon. Lennox offered her a hand up, but she ignored it, pushing herself up.

"Are you all right, Priscilla?" Lennox said.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Priscilla snapped, ignoring the over whelming urge to smile and thank him for coming.

Lennox looked hurt and kept his gaze on the floor. Ice and Optimus began talking very quickly and quietly, so Priscilla couldn't hear them. Eventually Optimus turned towards Priscilla, looking annoyed.

"Priscilla, what were you doing out here? It's not safe for you. If we hadn't have got here then who knows how this could have ended. Explain yourself!"

"I needed some air. Something happened... I had to clear my head. So I came out here, but got lost. Then that stupid transforming robot attacked me. So it's not my fault obviously."

"Have you got any idea how it knew you were here?"

"Not a clue. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to base. It's rather cold out here."

Lennox shrugged his jacket off and gave it to Priscilla. She glared at him and let it drop to the floor. This was too much. The way he treated her kindly when she treated him like dirt, the way he always checked she was okay, like he actually cared. She couldn't keep up the act much longer.

"We're leaving."

Ice made no efforts to pick Priscilla up.

"Now!" Priscilla hissed.

Ice picked Priscilla up and began to walk back towards the N.E.S.T base. They spent most of he time in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts.

"What's with the sudden departure? I scanned you, and your body heat levels are normal." Ice asked when they were almost back

"I, I just needed to get away from L-there." Priscilla replied clumsily.

Hopefully, Ice had missed Priscilla almost saying Lennox, but she hadn't.

"What have you got against Major Lennox? He's a nice guy, he cares about you."

"Yeah well, I don't need some up-his-own-ass soldier being concerned about me. I can look after myself. Change back into a car, I need to get some sleep."

Ice complied reluctantly, and as Priscilla fell asleep that night, she couldn't get a certain overly caring soldier off her mind.

**A/N: This is just a filler chapter really, the training and the action will start in the next chapter. Please leave a review, they inspire me to keep going, and it's good to know people are actually reading this. **

**Thanks to collizy, DreamBigCreateBigger, EthanPrime21, Noella50881, FORD B, SeXySqUcHaN and night-and-autumn for there lovely positive reviews, I give you all virtual cookies :D **

**CreativeKazi **

**xxxx**


	7. Chapter 7: Top secret

**A/N: Hey guys! I am unbelievably sorry about the wait! I'll explain at the bottom. And yes, I have a new pen name ;) **

**Disclaimer: Guess what. My muse vanished, then re-appeared, and I still don't own Transformers. This sucks :( At least Priscilla's mine though :)**

**Dedication: To my great Beta, Blazemane, who edited this chapter for me, thank you for all the help and advice on army protocols and such! **

Chapter 7: Top Secret

The next morning when Priscilla awoke, she felt like she'd been trampled by a horse. Her body ached all over from being cooped up in the back of Ice's luxurious but small interior. Somehow she'd wormed her way into the foot well behind the driving seat, and was having trouble getting out again. Her face was squashed into the side of the door, with her back pressed up against the back seat. Her legs were twisted under the front seat and her arms trapped at painful angles under her torso. After a few minutes of struggle, she was no closer to freeing herself than when she'd first started. With a heavy sigh, she resigned herself to sitting in a cramped heap until somebody noticed her absence at breakfast.

Suddenly Priscilla felt a rush of cool air caressing her body; then she hit the hard, concrete floor. Twisting her head around, she saw a young soldier with his hand resting on the handle of Ice's door. He would have looked the picture of innocence if he wasn't smirking for all he was worth.

"What, do you think your doing?" Priscilla asked, her voice cold as ice.

"Well, urmm, Major Lennox told me to retrieve you for your basic skills assessment, Miss," the soldier replied, his smirk faltering.

"Did he now? Tell him I will be doing nothing of the sort."

"But, he insisted, Miss."

"What a shame. Now, run along." Priscilla waved her hand in an offhand manner, quite enjoying watching him squirm.

He nodded and scuttled off, all traces of arrogance gone. Priscilla stood up and dusted her jeans off, and that was when she realized she was wearing the same clothes as the day before. Horrified, she wrenched Ice's door open and frantically searched for her suitcase.

In her panic, she managed to press the seat lever and send the drivers seat slamming back into her out stretched arms. Grumbling about how unfair life was, she ferreted around for a few more minutes until she found it rammed under the driving seat. Priscilla yanked her beloved,gold-trimmed case from out of its hiding place and pushed the seat back upright. She entered the code as quickly as she could and popped the lid open. Grabbing her light brown tight trousers, cream jumper-top, army styled heeled boots and make-up bag, she reset the code dials and put her case back on the seat.

With her head held high, Priscilla strode into the base, heading for the army barracks to change. While on her wanderings, she realized just how much went on at the high-tech army base: a man in a white lab coat was staring at a tiny creature through his microscope while a nervous-looking assistant took hurried notes, a woman with her hair scraped back into a bun and oil streaked on her face was tinkering away at a car's engine, and a high ranking army official was pointing at a PowerPoint with a long stick.

After what seemed like an eternity, Priscilla admitted to herself that she'd need to ask where the barracks were. But looking around, she realized she had no idea where she was. She'd been so absorbed in the fascinating, daily comings and goings of the N.E.S.T base, she hadn't been paying attention to where she'd been going, and now found herself hopelessly lost.

"Excellent!" she said to no one in particular.

Priscilla walked down to the end of the corridor and peered round, trying to get her bearings. The corridor she was in led to another long corridor with no doorways or recognizable features. She turned around to go back the way she came, but it was easier said than done. She'd taken so many turns, and everything looked the same. Eventually she saw something that caught her eye.

At first the door looked like any other, but a small sign was pinned to the inside. It read: DO NOT ENTER. Priscilla knew she should obey and keep walking. After all, she was completely lost in an army base where she might get shot for hearing the wrong thing. But curiosity burned in the pit of her stomach, egging her on. She took a tentative step towards the door and peered inside. She saw a man wearing a pinstripe suit talking to a man wearing khaki and lots of medals. Pressing her ear against the crack between the door frame and the wall, she tried to hear what the men were saying.

"...can activate it."

"No, she'll be no use at all. We'll just have to wait."

Confused, Priscilla backed away from the door and made her way down the corridor. The few sentences of the conversation she'd heard whirled round her head as she tried to comprehend what they meant. Who was the woman they were talking about? What did they have to wait for? Shaking her head, she tried to dispel her thoughts. It had nothing to do with her, and if anyone knew she'd listened in on a top-secret conversation, she'd be in so much trouble even her father wouldn't be able to get her out of it.

Rounding the next corner, Priscilla found herself at the cantine. With a sigh, she realized she still hadn't changed from the night before, and she still needed to find the barracks. Looking around the room, she saw Major Lennox sitting with a few soldiers eating their breakfast; but asking him was out of the question. She couldn't do anything to encourage the soldier to think that she actually didn't mind his company. Wait. What? Didn't mind him? She hated him!

"I swear to God, all this top secret doo dah is turning my brain to mush!" she muttered to herself.

"Priscilla? There you are! I've been looking all over for you. You need to do your basic skills assessment."

Priscilla turned round to see Lennox shouting over to her from his table.

"Been looking for me have you? Then why were you sitting filling your face with that-" she pointed at the mush in his bowl, "when I walked in?"

The other soldiers burst out laughing, but quickly covered it up as coughing when Lennox glared at them.

"You need to do your skills assessment- in the gym in half an hour," Lennox replied, choosing to ignore her last comment.

"I heard you the first time, and I thought I sent that little dweeb back here to tell you: I will not be taking part in anything like that. I have all the skills I need, thank you very much. Now, where are the army barracks?"

"Over there, first turning on the right," a different soldier called, pointing to an exit at the far side of the hall. "I'm Epps, by the way."

Priscilla nodded and turned towards the door when Epps called out.

"Wait a minute! What's your name?"

"Priscilla. Priscilla Night."

"Pleased to meet you."

"I'd say the same, but I don't lie without good reason."

With that she walked away, weaving in and out of the tables. She glanced over her shoulder before she left. Lennox and Epps were laughing about something. For a second, she felt a pang of jealousy. Friendship was a mine field, yes. But maybe it wasn't all bad. This place was dangerous and having someone to watch her back could only be a good thing. And at least they could laugh and joke about things. They didn't constantly have to act like they hated everyone just to keep themselves safe from hurt.

But… maybe she didn't either... Maybe she didn't have to treat everyone like dirt. Maybe she could let her walls down, just for a moment, and see how it felt.

She was still deep in thought when she wandered into the female barracks. The area was decorated minimally; there were no paintings or fancy pieces of furniture like Priscilla was used to. Rows of beds lined the walls opposite each other with a central walkway down the middle. Next to each bed was a small table and wardrobe. Each small area had been personalized by its occupant, making the dividing lines between living areas clear.

A short girl with long purplish-red hair and a huge smile popped up in front of Priscilla just as she was looking round.

"Hey! I'm Amy-Lee, nice to meet you! So you're the new girl!"

Priscilla's eyes narrowed at being labeled "new girl", but Amy-Lee seemed far too bubbly to have meant it as an insult.

"I suppose you could say that-"

"You're sleeping down here," she interrupted and grabbed Priscilla's arm.

She led her down between the beds to an empty bed with a dresser and wardrobe on either side.

"I sleep here."

Amy-Lee pointed to a small space decorated with bright posters and a bed with a flowery quilt. Priscilla was about to snap back that she wouldn't be sleeping here anyway, but then stopped herself. This girl had done nothing wrong, and she didn't look like she could hurt a fly. Maybe she could try and trust her and see where it led.

"Thank you," Priscilla replied.

She tried a smile, but it felt a little weird.

"You okay? You look a bit uncomfortable."

"I'm fine_**,**_" Priscilla assured her.

The two stood in awkward silence for a while. Priscilla hadn't attempted civil conversation with someone other than her father for years, so she didn't have a clue what to say; she didn't want to seem like a whiny little kid. Amy-Lee was this confident and composed woman. She couldn't be more different from Priscilla, who seemed unsure how to smile.

The silence was broken by someone coughing behind Priscilla. Standing behind them was a tall, muscular woman of about 25. Her hair was bubble gum pink and the front tips were bright white. It was a bold look that could have seemed childish, but this woman's confident grin made it work.

"The name's Tami Bryce. I'm pretty much in charge here, so come to me if you've got any problems. I'm assuming you're Priscilla Night, the one with the 'mystical powers'."

"I haven't got any special skills, I'm just a normal person dragged into this mess by some stupid robots who think they know best!" Priscilla retorted angrily.

Tami blinked in surprise, taken aback by her harsh tone. Priscilla cursed herself for snapping at Tami, she was only trying to be welcoming; now she'd probably made another enemy.

"Right. Fine then. Whether you like it or not_**, **_you better accept it, because that's why your here."

Tami turned and walked away, leaving Priscilla with a niggling feeling of guilt that- however hard she tried to dispel- wouldn't leave her alone. Amy-Lee sat quietly, too surprised by Priscilla's outburst to say anything.

"I'm going to go and get my things..." Priscilla muttered.

Amy-Lee didn't say anything, so she stood up and walked away. She headed out towards the Autobot's hanger to try and find Ice. However, when she got there_**, **_the pale blue Bugatti was nowhere to be seen. Looking around the hanger, Priscilla couldn't see any Autobots except two small Chevrolets, one green and one orange. They didn't look like battle-hardened warriors, but if they were there, they must have been Autobots. She made her way over and coughed loudly.

"Excuse me. Have either of you seen Ice?"

No response.

"Hello? I was talking to you! Have you seen Ice?"

Still no response.

Priscilla pulled a long grip out of her hair and threw it at the motionless Autobots. It ricocheted off one and hit the other. They instantly began to transform, quickly changing into two similar looking robots, each standing about 11ft high.

"What's your problem, lady?" the orange one asked irritably.

"It's still early!" the green one chipped in.

"I wanted to know if you've seen Ice_**,**_" Priscilla replied, trying her hardest to be civil.

"Ice, man she's hot..." the orange one trailed off.

"Hey Bro, she is so not into you!" the other said indignantly.

"What, you think she digs green?"

"Yeah! Much more than manky orange!"

"HEY!"

The two Autobots launched themselves at each other. The orange one smashed the other into the floor and the pair rolled over and over, punching at each other's heads.

"For goodness_**' **_sake! Where is Ice?" Priscilla shouted, but they didn't hear her.

"You're pathetic!" she snapped, before leaving them to their childish brawl.

She carried on looking around outside**, **but couldn't find the Autobot in question anywhere. After what felt like an awfully long time, she gave up and found a secluded spot on a hill north of the base where she could think clearly. A lot had happened in the short time she'd been at the military base. She'd overheard a top secret conversation, but hadn't gotten a clue as to what it meant. She'd discovered that there was a whole other world co-existing on Earth; a world where ordinary people knew of the existence of aliens.

But by far the most daunting thing was what she'd discovered about herself. Priscilla had kept up her pretence for so long, she almost believed it herself. She'd forgotten that underneath the sarcastic remarks and stuck-up attitude a decent person lay hidden. A person with the potential to be brave and selfless. But as she peeled away the layers of defences around her heart she found that she couldn't just revert back to how she had once been. The snobby, arrogant side of her wouldn't quite let go (and she'd always been stubborn and argumentative).

Hearing footsteps behind her, Priscilla stood and turned around. Lennox was making his way over to her tentatively.

"Hi..." he said.

"Hi," she replied, testing her new theory of being nice until she was offended.

Lennox was too surprised by her almost polite reply to say anything.

"You came to say something..." Priscilla trailed off.

"Yeah, right," he flushed. "Just wondering what you did to Skids and Mudflap. When I found them, they were battered, bruised, and Mudflap was missing an arm. All they said was a lady they'd never seen before came and threw a hair slide at them."

"I didn't do anything. I merely asked where Ice was, and they began bickering over something childish..."

"Right. You really need to skills assessment, which is why I'm here actually."

"Tell me where Ice is, and I'll consider your poxy test." Priscilla replied.

"Last time I saw her, she was heading out with Optimus, Ironhide and 'Bee."

"That's the fist useful thing you've said all day." she said earnestly, thinking she was being kind.

Lennox blinked at her.

"Were you tr... trying to be n... nice?" he asked between laughing.

"No, actually. I was being honest," she snapped coldly. "I have things to do and places to go; hopefully you'll leave me alone."

She escaped quickly, trying to keep her walk calm and collected. Her cheeks were burning. She'd never felt so embarrassed in her life. That stupid soldier couldn't even appreciate her efforts! Here she was, going out on a limb to act nice to him and all he could do was mock her! Why it mattered so much what he thought or did, Priscilla didn't know. It just did. He'd just gone and proven that friendship was overrated. Well, if he thought she'd be wasting her time with him again, he had another thing coming!

**A/N: So there you have it. I hope it wasn't too bad, my muse has been on an extended holiday, and I'm just getting back into the swing of writing. I've also been extremely busy with very important tests at school, so writing fan fiction has had to be sidelined. Unfortunately, I'm going to be even busier after the festive period is over, as I'm looking for a new horse and helping out a lot at the local yard. I could only write this because I've been off school. It's longer than you're average chapter as an apology, but I'm afraid regular, frequent updates are now a thing of the past. Please don't kill me! A big shout out to all who've reviewed in my absence. My usual reviews: Noella50881, DreamBigCreateBigger, FORD B, collizzy And to my two new reviewers: XxHeartofheSeaxxX and nikki2103. Thank you so much! **

**Don't forget to review with your thoughts!**

**NarniaOwnsForks**

**xxxx**


	8. Chapter 8: Secrets and Ephianies

**A/N: Hey guys :) Chapter 8 is here. I began working on this on new years day, then my laptop crashed and i only got it back on the 31st! So sorry for the wait! Then I've had a problem with uploading that I've only just got fixed, but anyway, here we are :) **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own transformers guys :( The only things that I own are Priscilla, Ice, Termination, minor characters and the storyline. (I've not seen the 3rd film so if the plot to that is similar to this It's not intentional)**

**Dedication: Anyone who as ever read my work and given constructive criticism, it really helps me improve as a writer! **

Chapter 8: Secrets and Epiphanys

"Does she know?" Ice whispered hoarsely.

"No. She doesn't. And under no circumstances can you let her know that we know. Although she will find out herself, she cannot realize we knew it would happen," Optimus Prime replied.

"Is it really fair to ask for her help, especially if that is the result?" Bee exclaimed.

"It is an unfortunate side effect of her powers. I must impress how important it is that we keep this between ourselves," he said, looking around at Ironhide, Bee and Ice.

"The girl will never know," Ironhide vowed.

"We should get back," Ice muttered, before changing into a car and driving off.

"You shouldn't have told Ice. She is too close to the girl. Why, I don't know. She is insolent and rude. Very different to Sam," Ironhide said.

"Ice knows what is at stake. Priscilla will lose any faith she may have in us if she knows about the consequences of using her powers. You should trust her more, Ironhide," Optimus concluded.

Meanwhile, back at the N.E.S.T base, Priscilla was still marching around in a foul mood. When she saw Ice appear over a nearby hill, she ran over to her. The autobot transformed into her robot form as Priscilla stormed over to her.

"There you are!" Priscilla said, relieved. "You really have no idea about self-management. I've been looking for you all morning, wasting my own valuable time."

"What do you want Priscilla?" Ice said, sounding distracted.

"My suitcase, of course," she said in a 'well duh' tone.

"I left it in the repairs hanger." Ice pointed to a hanger between the main buildings and Autobot hanger.

"Try to be more careful next time," Priscilla snapped before walking away to find her belongings.

It didn't take her long to reach the hanger. The doors stood ajar and she could feel the heat of a roaring furnace from the outside. Sparks were flying in all directions, a few spitting outside and narrowly missing Priscilla. She wandered into the hanger, looking for her suitcase. A familiar-looking girl who was wearing a heavy metal mask ran over to her.

"Hey Priscilla," she grinned, pulling off the mask to reveal herself as Amy-Lee.

"Hello. What are you doing here?"

"Working. Some of us have to you know!" she winked. "We're fixing up a Decepticon probe to try and find out how they work."

"Sounds gripping. Have you seen a suitcase with gold trim? It has my stuff in it and that imbecile of an Autobot left it here."

"'Imbecile of an Autobot'? Do you mean Ice? I've always wanted to talk to her. She's the only female Autobot, you know..."

"Yes, I know. More importantly, have you seen my suitcase?"

"It's over there."

Amy-Lee pointed towards the far side of the workshop.

"Okay. Urmm, thank you."

Amy-Lee frowned at how uncomfortable Priscilla seemed to be with thanking someone, but let it slide for the time being.

"No problem. Hey, I'll be finished with this in an hour or two. Do you want a proper tour of the base?"

"I'll be able to find my own way. And I need to unpack. But it was a decent thought..." Priscilla said in choppy English.

"Righty-o then," Amy said, sounding a little disappointed. "I'll come over and help you unpack later!" She brightened up as soon as the thought occurred to her.

"Whatever pleases you," Priscilla shrugged, trying not to tell Amy outright that she really didn't want to be in her company.

Dodging the other men and women who were busy at work, Priscilla retrieved her precious case from the other side of the hanger. Relieved to finally have it back in her possession, she wasted no time getting back to the barracks to get changed. Carefully laying her case on the bedspread in her room-of-sorts, she took the clothes she'd picked out earlier that day (although it felt like it had been weeks ago) and went to change in the bathroom. The door was almost hidden behind the clutter in Amy-lee's section of the room. The bathroom was small and compact, like most rooms in the base, but at least it offered some privacy. After dressing, Priscilla applied faint blusher and mascara and put her hair up in a messy bun before deeming herself ready. For what, she didn't know.

Waiting for her outside the bathroom was a certain highly irritating Major.

Refusing to show her agitation, Priscilla stared at him coldly.

"What do you want?"

"Look, don't bite my head off, okay? But, we really need to see how fit you are and what fighting skills you have. It won't take long, I swear."

"If I agree, will you leave me alone?"

A hurt expression flitted across Lennox' face, but he nodded. Priscilla felt an unfamiliar pang of guilt, but pushed it aside. He was the one annoying her, so why should she worry about offending him?

"Fine. I'll do it, but I am not changing," she indicated the clothes she'd just put on.

"Follow me, then."

Priscilla followed Lennox out of the bunker and into the bright morning sunshine. Somehow, the clouds had cleared up in the few minutes she'd spent inside. Lennox led her to a gym to the left of the main operations zone; inside it sat a running machine and a set of weights. She couldn't help but gulp at the sight. Lennox headed over to the formidable-looking running machine and stopped in front of it. He pressed a few buttons and the tread started moving slowly.

"Get on, and run until you can't run anymore," he explained simply.

Stepping cautiously onto the machine, Priscilla jogged just fast enough to keep up with it. She was by no means fat; in fact, she was very thin. However, that didn't mean she was actually that fit. After a few minutes, her thighs began to ache, and her breathing became more labored. By the time 5 minutes had passed, she was panting like a winded dog, and sweating like a pig. And her legs felt as if they weighed a ton. She stepped off the treadmill and tried her hardest not to fall over as her knees buckled.

Lennox was watching her with raised eyebrows and a slight smirk. Despite the fact that she was exhausted, Priscilla still managed to glare at him.

"What's so funny?" she snapped, annoyed.

"Nothing much. Just assumed you'd be able to run for longer, that's all..." he shrugged.

Priscilla's eyes narrowed at the derogatory comment. Determination flooded through her veins like fire, making her feel like she could take on the world. She set the machine up so it went faster than before and jumped on. Anger pounded through her weary limbs, and suddenly she didn't feel tired. She felt brilliant. She pressed a few buttons, and the running machine sped up to its fastest speed.

But this was no problem for Priscilla. She found she could keep up easily, and she wasn't out of breath. After what felt like forever, she finally began to feel a little tired. Then, suddenly, she felt as if she was going to faint. Her vision blurred, and she felt blood pounding in her ears. Her body swayed, and the last thing she remembered was being caught by a pair of strong arms.

Priscilla tried to open her eyes, but they felt as heavy as lead. Her whole body felt numb, she couldn't move at all. She was aware of people talking around her, but she couldn't work out who they were, or what their words meant.

"What happened?"

"I don't know! I wound her up, and she went back on the running machine. She put it on maximum speed and ran for almost half an hour without wavering. Then suddenly, she fainted. I managed to catch her before she fell."

"You managed to antagonize the girl? What a surprise."

"Not the time or place, Ironhide. Lay her down on this table, Major."

"Whatever, Ratchet."

"Where did you pick that awful slang up from? And why are you even watching this? Out!"

"Will she be okay?"

"Relax, Lennox. She is merely unconscious. I am going to do an internal body scan to check for anything out of the ordinary, though. She should not have been able to run for that long at such a high speed. Especially if she barely managed five minutes the previous time."  
>Priscilla's head began to ache, and she felt herself sliping into unconsciousness...<p>

Blinking rapidly, Priscilla watched as the room she was in stopped spinning and came into focus. It looked like a medical facility of some sort, and the place had that horrible disinfectant smell that lingered around hospitals. She was tucked into crisp, white sheets. The room was bland and boring, without any windows. Looking down at herself, Priscilla was horrified to find she was wearing a pale blue gown. It hung off of her like rags and made her look like an alien. Her head felt as if it was about to explode it hurt so badly, and a foul mood quickly settled upon her.

A smiling man in a white doctor's apron wandered into Priscilla's room, clutching a clipboard and a pen.

"Good morning, Priscilla! My name is Doctor Briggs. How are you feeling?" he asked in a bright voice.

"I was feeling fine until you walked in. Now your high-pitched voice is giving me a headache," she replied dryly.

"What a sense of humor you have," he laughed good-naturedly. "So have you been experiencing any pain? Nausea? Light headedness?"

"I must be light headed, because you're standing there, and you're incredibly short for a grown man."

The Doctor sighed, then looked at her.

"I'll be back in a while; hopefully you'll be in a more cooperative mood."

He turned and walked out of the room, allowing Priscilla to sink back into the pillows behind her. It was hard work being snappy and clever with everyone, and she was so irritated she forgot her new aim to be nice unless given a good reason not to be. She vowed to be on her best behavior when the doctor got back, and actually tell him about her headache. Maybe he could give her some medication to take the pain away.

A little while later, the door opened and Priscilla tried to put a real smile on her face, expecting the Doctor to have returned. Instead, Lennox appeared. The smile was instantly wiped from Priscilla's face. That stupid soldier! What did he want? Then she stopped and thought for a second. What had he actually done to offend her? Sifting back through her memories, she tried to find where her irrational hatred for him stemmed from. It was when she found out about why the Decepticons were trying to destroy the earth. He'd been one of the fighters who'd sparked their hunger for revenge. But was that really his fault? After all, he'd only been defending his country, his planet. Then he'd snapped at her in the airport, but she had dramatically accused him of dooming the world. And he'd laughed at her when she'd tried to be civil with him. But she had probably sounded pretty stupid, and she doubted he'd meant it as an insult. Suddenly, Priscilla felt a yearning to trust the man standing before her. But could she really do that? Being slightly less than callous to her over-bubbly roommate was one thing. But actually trusting someone was foreign to her now. It could totally backfire, and leave her in a worse emotional state than she already was. But Lennox seemed far too kind-hearted to do that to her. He had put up with her, and when she was at her worst, he had shrugged it off and given her chance after chance to be a better person.

A warm sensation ran through her shoulder, jolting Priscilla out of her epiphany. Lennox was shaking her shoulder gently, watching her with a worried expression.

"Urmm... Did you say something?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just asked how you were, but you were totally spacing out..."

"Right, sorry..." she muttered.

Lennox stared at her in surprise.

"I do know how to apologize, you know. I just don't utilize the skill very often."

"I can tell..." he replied, but with a grin.

"You're, urmm, still holding my shoulder," Priscilla pointed out, very embarrassed about the situation.

Lennox pulled away and looked at the floor. Priscilla mimicked him, and began to fiddle with her bed linen. The ridiculously short doctor chose that moment to join them, interrupting the awkward silence.

"Feeling any better yet?"

"A little. My head feels as if it's been trampled by horses, though."

"That's just an after effect of passing out, but I can give you some pain killers if you like."

Priscilla nodded gratefully. The pain in her head wasn't as bad as when she first woke, but she could still do with something to relieve it. Doctor Briggs left swiftly, leaving Priscilla and Lennox in another awkward silence.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry. For making you get back on that running machine, I mean," Lennox said eventually.

"You should be sorry!" Priscilla snapped back instantly. She groaned, and squeezed her eyes shut. Snapping at people was a bad habit that needed breaking. "What I meant, was I appreciate your concern," she corrected herself awkwardly.

"How did you manage to run so fast for so long like that?" Lennox wondered.

"I'd love to say it's because I'm naturally gifted, but I really don't know how I managed it," Priscilla said, smiling to herself. At least she hadn't sounded like she hated him in that sentence. "I got really angry, and then suddenly it felt like I could run forever. I didn't feel tired at all until about a second or two before I fainted."

Lennox nodded, then glanced up at the window. He shook his head slightly, as if having a silent conversation with someone. But when Priscilla turned round, all she could see were the rolling green hills that surrounded the N.E.S.T base.

"I should probably leave," Lennox announced. "Get well soon."

He left as quickly as he'd appeared, leaving a very confused Priscilla in his wake.

**A/N: Shortish I know, but the next chapter has some more important stuff in that I wanted to group together into one chapter instead of having it split between this one and the next one, so I decided to cut if off there. I hopped you liked it, and Priscilla's epiphany. I thought it was about time she got over herself a bit, even though it's hilarious to write her when she's in a stuck up mood! ;) **

**Please review! **

**Lastly, huge shout outs to:**

**nikki2103- **Thanks, it was my favourite bit to write :)  
><strong>Noella50881- <strong>It really is good to be writing again ;) And yeah, they do!  
><strong>WolfieLovesSilently-<strong> Thanks, and sorry for the wait!  
><strong>collizzy- <strong>I was thinking of that actually, but I wasn't sure if it would be a bit OOC for her considering how stuck up she is. Do you think it would work, then?  
><strong>FORD B- <strong>Thanks, and yeah, school gets in the way for me a lot :(

**For reviewing, you people make my day! :) :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Ceratanium

**A/N: Heya guys! This chapter was really fun to write, so I'm hoping you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Priscilla, Ice, Termination, Amy-Lee and minor O.C's. **

**Dedication: to anyone who has favourited or put this on alert, love you guys loads and loads!**

Chapter 9: Ceratanium

"I don't see why you can't just tell me what's going to be said and save me the trouble of going," Priscilla said, arms folded stubbornly across her chest.

"Because I don't know myself. Look, I'm sure Optimus will explain everything once we get there," Lennox said tiredly.

"Do I look like I want to go to a stupid meeting with a load of poncy officials talking about war stories?"

"You just said you wanted to know what's going on. If you'd shut up and come with me, then you'll find out. Stop being so difficult!" Lennox snapped.

Priscilla blinked and stepped back. She'd never heard Lennox get angry or annoyed with her, except when they were in the airport before they'd arrived here. She'd gotten used to treating him however she saw fit, and assumed he would just take it without comment. These were the consequences of being how she was. Everyone, after so long, got sick of her attitude and began to snap right back at her.

"Being difficult is me," Priscilla sighed. "But you're right. Let's go."

Lennox looked just as surprised by her apology as she'd been by his outburst. It was almost as if they'd swapped personalities. Shaking the strange thoughts out of her head, Priscilla followed Lennox towards one of the many bunkers. She recognized this one as where she'd heard Optimus Prime making his speech about her when she'd first arrived. The long tables had been replaced by rows of chairs. Optimus, Bee, Ratchet, Ironhide and Ice stood with their backs to the assembled soldiers and officials, talking quietly among themselves. As Priscilla and Lennox walked in, the few people standing inside turned to watch them.

"Major Lennox," one man said, walking over to them with his hand outstretched.

"General Henley," he replied somewhat stiffly, and took his hand.

General Henley was a short, stocky man with thick black eyebrows and a Hitler-esque mustache. His skin was tinted pink, hinting he was fond of his alcohol. He had small, watery eyes that looked squashed and were almost lost in his masses of forehead. Those beady eyes scanned over Priscilla, and a bright smile took over his face.

"Finally, I meet the elusive Miss Night, who is to save us all! It really is a pleasure," he said chirpily. To "Miss Night," he seemed overly-enthusiastic, and his greeting seemed a little forced, definately not from the heart.

His voice was squeaky and had a whiny quality; Priscilla thought it made him sound a bit pathetic. His uniform was emblazoned with medals that he didn't appear to be worthy of. She narrowed her eyes, unimpressed. This man was clearly faking his enthusiasm for her, which set alarm bells ringing. He wanted to be on her good side, for reasons she couldn't work out. Now that she looked at him properly, she almost recognized him.

Maybe she'd seen him around the base? No, it was more than that. She'd heard his voice before as well...

"Charmed, I'm sure. But I'm afraid I won't be saving you any time soon, General," she replied sweetly. "If I do have any powers, which I really do doubt, I've never been able to use them."

"Haha, I'm sure you'll find a way to activate them, for all our sakes!" he said, laughing heartily. "Now, I must go and have a word with General Finchcombe. It truly was a pleasure."

The General hurried off, over to a much taller man with fairer hair and skin, who began muttering to him in a hushed tone.

"I don't like him," Priscilla said shortly, turning to Lennox.

He was frowning after Henley, watching him with suspicion clear on his features.

"I don't either, and I certainly wouldn't trust him."

"How is he part of N.E.S.T.? I didn't think Optimus would employ such a slimy, little, eager-to-impress man."

"Optimus had nothing to do with it. None of us did. After the last Decepticon threat was averted, the regular U.S. army decided they needed to have more to do with the defense against them. Henley and Finchcombe were drafted in, and apart from Optimus, they're ranked above pretty much everyone else."

Priscilla had kept one eye on them, and saw they hadn't been talking to anyone else. Henley, it seemed, had only spoken to them, and even then, he'd barely said a word to Lennox. He had, on the other hand, seemed fascinated with her. Why was he so interested? Her thoughts were interrupted by Optimus Prime calling order at the front of the bunker. Lennox and Priscilla took seats in the row of chairs behind the two Generals.

"We are gathered here today to discuss the Decepticon threat. You may or may not be aware of the fact that the Destruction Engine has almost been completed. We haven't been too worried for now, as the Decepticons have yet to find anything powerful enough to drive it. However, Ratchet has discovered something that may just work."

"Optimus is right," Ratchet said, stepping forward. "Until now, we were sure there was nothing on earth with the potential energy to drive the Destruction Engine. But intelligence in Cambodia has radioed in with news of a previously undiscovered element, which has been named Ceratanium. It has enough gravitational potential energy that when the atoms are split, it will power the machine."

"The Decepticons aren't aware of this element yet, but it won't be long before they are. They have their own ways of gathering information, and it will be less than a week before they set out to find it. We suggest a full, armed mission to Cambodia to-"

"Hold on one minute," General Finchcombe said, standing up. "How reliable is your source? For all we know, this could be a fluke. Or maybe just a chance to have a fight with the Decepticons," he threw a dirty look at Ironhide, who clenched his fist in response.

"Our source is 100% reliable. If she says that the element can power the machine, then it can," Ratchet replied, fixing the General with a stern glare.

"'She'? Excellent, are we putting our faith in women,now? Who know much less about this sort of thing? And if you think you're sending U.S. soldiers into a potentially hostile area with no factual evidence of this Ceratanium, then you are clueless about our protocols. "

Rage boiled through Priscilla, and she angrily kicked the left back leg of Finchecombe's chair. It shot forwards, and out from under him. He fell backwards, legs tangled in his chair, and hit the stone-cold floor with the chair on top of him. He leapt to his feet and spun around to face Priscilla, who was seething.

"Considering I'm a woman and supposed to be saving the world, and you're in that world, I'd show a little more respect if I were you," she hissed. "Or I may accidentally forget to save you."

"Apologize for assaulting him!" General Henley said in his silly voice, coming to stand next to Finchecombe, his already-red face turned a nasty shade of burgundy with exertion.

"No!" Priscilla spat.

"Whoa! Everyone just calm down!" Lennox said, jumping to his feet, hands in the air in a placating gesture. "General Finchecombe, I'm sure Priscilla didn't mean her outburst, and I'm sure she will apologize in time, Geneneral Henley."

"In time! In time!" Henley spluttered, trying to look impressive in front of Finchcombe, who was glaring at him like he was an irritating insect who needed to be squashed.

"Shut up, Henley," Finchcombe snapped, his voice cold and authoritative. It was clear he was in charge of the partnership. "Miss Night, I haven't met you until this moment, and it is not a shame. If you are our savior, God help us all," he said with disgust, before turning back to the front.

Priscilla glared daggers at the back of his head, before looking up to see Optimus appearing to be annoyed.

"We are moving away from the main problem here," Optimus said, gaining everyone's attention once more. "We need to mobilize our troops, and head out to Cambodia to be there when the Decepticons arrive, so we can stop them from obtaining the Ceratanium."

"Be that as it may. You have no evidence, no proof of this element existing, let alone that it hasthe energy you claim it has. You will not send our troops on a death mission for no reason!" Finchcombe shouted.

"May I remind you, General Finchcombe, you are not in charge of this facility. You are merely here to represent the military, and-"

"May I remind you, Optimus Prime, I am here for the best interests of this country- in fact, of this planet."

"Whether you agree or not, General Finchcombe, our troops will be going to Cambodia. The planes leave in 2 days."

Priscilla couldn't help but grin. The General had been well and truly put in his place, and that seemed to be the end of the matter. General Finchcombe nodded, before turning and walking out. Henley followed him like a lost puppy, glancing back at Priscilla nervously. She fixed him with a death glare, and he hurried away after Finchecombe.

Optimus was deep in conversation with Ratchet, Ironhide and Bee. Ice, however, made her way over to Priscilla.

"You've met General Finchcombe then," she said.

"Yes, and I'm glad Inever came across him before. Or that Henley. He's a slimy little worm," Priscilla shuddered.

"He's not very pleasant," Ice agreed.

"So, where exactly are we going in Cambodia?" Priscilla wondered.

"We?" Ice asked with confusion.

"Yes, we. You don't seriously think you're leaving me behind, right? Firstly, you might need this power of mine. And secondly, none of those

soldiers are capable of fighting Decepticons without my assistance."

"This isn't a game, Priscilla," Ice said seriously. "You have no self-defense training, and no practice with weaponry. There is no chance of you going, whatever you say."

"Look, I don't exactly offer myself up for this sort of thing for my own health. I'm coming with you, Ice."

"I think you'd be better off here. You can train in combat, and harness your powers," Lennox put in.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, and I couldn't care less what you think!" Priscilla snapped, before spinning on one heel and marching away.

Annoyance and anger churned inside Priscilla as she walked away. How dare they tell her she couldn't go? They wouldn't stand a chance against the Decepticons without her powers! She had to find a way to get on one of the planes, and she had to do it without Lennox or Ice's help. Tami would probably be going; she was obviously a soldier as she always wore military uniform. But after the their last encounter, Priscilla doubted she'd help her. Which left Amy-Lee. Yes, she was an engineer, but maybe she'd be going in case one of the Autobots broke down in car mode, or something?

Once Priscilla had walked back to the barracks, she made her way swiftly up the central corridor. There was hardly anyone there; most were already busy doing whatever they did every day at N.E.S.T. It struck Priscilla that she didn't really know what anyone did here. Yes, they defended the earth against Decepticons. But what exactly did that entail? Finally, she reached her section; she was relieved to see Amy-Lee sitting on her own bed, flicking through a car repairs manual.

"Amy," Priscilla said sharply, getting her attention.

"Oh, hi there, Priscilla! Are you okay? You look a little miffed."

"I'm fine, Amy. But I need your help..."

**A/N: There you go! Please review, even if you've already reviewed! If you only have time for three words, e.g.: it was good, or it was bad, that's fine! Virtual choc chip muffins to anyone who reviews ;)**

**If anyone out there is an Evanescence fan, try and spot the link to the best band ever hidden in this story :D**

**Lastly, massive shout outs to:**

**Minimus Prime- Thank you, and I'll try :)**

**SweetnSour CHICKen- Okay then :) I'll see what I can do in the upcoming chapters.**

**Noella50881- I couldn't run that long either! That sucks, I'm sorry for you :( And thanks :)**

**Katy-alice Cullen- Thank you! I am extremely proud of her, and love her to bits :) **

**Thanks for reviewing peeps, it means the world to me, not even kidding! Until next time,**

**Spirited mare**

**xxxx**


	10. Chapter 10: Training

**A/N: Enjoy :) A massive thank you to my beta, Blazemane :) **

**Disclaimer: O.C's are mine, that's it :) **

**Dedication: To Katy-alice Cullen and Noella50881, who both reviewed the last chapter, love you guys!**

Chapter 10: Training

Priscilla stood, the wind whipping her long locks into a frenzy as heavy droplets of water danced off her waterproof make-up. She faced the assault course, watching the hammering rain with dread.

"No way," she said, stepping back fearfully.

"Get over yourself, Priscilla. You asked Amy for help, who asked me. I'm not willing to help you sneak on board unless you have at least some training. So, complete the obstacle course. Shimmy under the netting, climb the wall, jump down the other side, wade through the river, collect the gun and then come back," Tami instructed sternly.

"I hate you, Amy-Lee!" Priscilla muttered under her breath.

Priscilla was carefully lowering herself towards the wet, muddy grass when she received a hard kick in the back which sent her sprawling face-first into the brown sludge. She yelped, and pushed herself up to her knees, spitting out mud and rubbing it from her eyes.

"What is your problem?" she shouted, turning to glare at Tami.

"You. Now get on with it," Tami replied calmly.

With an exaggerated sigh, Priscilla flopped down into the mud once more, squealing slightly under her breath as it seeped into her clothes. She'd seen people crawling under nets like these in old American war films, and it had never looked very hard. So, with a determined mind set, she began shimmying forwards. She was only under up to her shoulders when her top got snagged by the sharp wire. Pulling her arms out of the sleeves, she twisted her whole body inside the clothing so she was lying on her back. From there, she yanked the fabric free of the wire, grazing her delicate palms in the process. Swearing under her breath, she twisted her top around so she was in it correctly once more before carrying on. Very soon afterwards, her left elbow hit an extremely marshy point and sunk in so deep she could barely get it out. But after a few minutes of pulling with all her might, Priscilla managed to get it loose.

After what felt like hours, Priscilla was finally free of the treacherous net. She scrambled to her feet, almost slipping in the foul-smelling mud. Her legs were shaking and her knees buckling. It was so tempting to sit down- she was already soaked to the bone- and give up. It was so tempting to sit down and give up; she was already soaked to the bone.

But as she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Tami glaring firmly at her. If she stopped now, she would have gone through the ordeal of the net for nothing. She'd never get on that plane to Cambodia and Tami would always think of her as a weak woman who gave up at the first sign of hardship. Maybe, before she was hurled into this mess of aliens and destruction machines, she would have given up. But now? She was stronger now. She could do this. She would do this.

Priscilla started forward in a light jog, heading for the wall a few hundred metres away.

"I haven't got all day!" she heard Tami yell at her from behind.

Gritting her teeth, she sped up and was at the wall in under a minute. Priscilla could feel her chest begin to ache as her body demanded more oxygen than her lungs could provide. Her throat felt soar, and her legs were still trembling slightly. The wall stood dauntingly above her, taunting her, teasing her. Spotting a rope hanging down to about two metres above the ground, she jumped for it.

Her fingers scraped air, and she landed heavily on her right ankle. Trying her best to ignore the pain which shot through the abused joint, she took a few steps back before launching herself at the wall. She pushed off and upwards with her hands and grabbed the rope. She swung towards the wall, and gripped around the edge with her feet. From there, she slowly shuffled upwards, taking most of the strain through her arms and shoulders. Once she reached the top, she pushed off from the rope, and balanced on top of the wall. A sudden gust of wind sent her off balance, and her arms swung like windmills to keep her feet firmly on the wall as she rocked dangerously backwards. As soon as she felt safe, Priscilla sat down on the wall before she could get blown off it.

…Which was when she realized there was no way down. She was stuck at the top of a wall which was at least 3 metres high. The rope was attached to the other side of the wall, so she couldn't use that to abseil down. Even if there was another rope, she doubted she'd be able to use it how she'd used the last one. Her arms and back felt as if they were on fire, and her fingers were red-raw from clinging to the rope. There was no way she could jump; even with the soft landing, she'd break her ankles at least.

"Priscilla?" a voice questioned from below, sounding shocked.

Priscilla glanced down to see Lennox looking at her in disbelief.

"How the hell did you get up there?"

"I climbed."

She felt a little awkward sitting there, obviously stuck, with the only likely help coming from a man she'd all but screamed at a few hours earlier. With that in mind, he'd probably leave her up there, and then she'd never complete the course, and Tami would be on her back about it forever. Plus, if anyone heard she hadn't managed the course, they would have a reason to think she wasn't superior to all, which she obviously was. All of this basically meant she had to get over herself and apologize. For Priscilla, that was quite a stretch. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it, loosing her nerve.

Urghh! I bet I look like a goldfish opening and closing my mouth, Priscilla berated herself. I just need to apologize. One quick 'I'm sorry' and I'll be down, and then I can be back to mardy, arrogant Priscilla. One quick apology.

"I'm, urmm, sorry about earlier," she said so fast it sounded like a blur.

"Excuse me?" Lennox said, looking even more astounded than he had when he'd found her.

"Yes, yes, I don't apologize much, but here I am, apologizing for yelling at you. Now, could you at least get me off this wall?"

"Right, 'course I can. You're going to have to jump, and I'll catch you. Well, more slide off, really."

"Haha. Funny. How am I really getting down?"

"I was being serious."

"If you think I'm throwing myself off this wall like a commoner committing suicide, you have another thing coming!" Priscilla snapped, lapsing back to her old self for a moment.

"It's the only way to get down. It's how we get down in drills."

"Really? You just jump on each other?"

"Yeah. Eventually the pile gets so high you can just step down."

Priscilla couldn't help but laugh at the mental image the statement conjured. It was a real, true laugh, not a forced one to keep her father's clients happy, or a fake one so people thought she was happy. A real laugh. And it felt good. The smile, however, was short lived as she soon remembered her predicament. Gulping anxiously, she leant over the edge. It was quite a drop. But if there was only one way down, she might as well get on with it.

"Swear you won't drop me?"

"I doubt you weigh as much as Epps, who I normally end up helping down, which is probably why my back gives me such trouble..."

Priscilla laughed again, before taking a deep breath and letting herself slip off the wall. She couldn't hold in the inevitable squeal that slipped through her lips as she fell through the air. If it hadn't been so terrifying, though, it would have been quite exhilarating. She felt Lennox's strong arms catch her, one under her knees and the other around her back. Her arms moved automatically to circle around his neck and secure herself in his hold.

"Simple," Lennox said, giving her a wide smile.

Priscilla rolled her eyes, and looked around to see if Tami was anywhere to be seen.

"I hope Tami didn't see that, she'll probably class it as cheating! If you could put me down, I can carry on with this ridiculous obstacle course."

Lennox nodded and gently lowered her to the squelchy, muddy floor. She unwound her arms from around him and let them fall to her sides. She took a step back, and was actually about to thank him of her own accord when her injured right foot hit a rut. She yelped and tipped backwards, hands clutching at the nearest thing to her, which happened to be Lennox. Unfortunately, the momentum carried them both backwards and they crashed down in a tangled heap.

"Ouch!" Priscilla whined from underneath Lennox.

Her arms and legs were pinned to the ground, and she could hardly move her head. She could feel the mud mixing in with her expensively cut hair, and it wasn't a pleasant sensation. With a groan, Lennox heaved himself to one side and sat up slowly, before standing and offering her a hand. Priscilla took it and was just being pulled up when she heard a familiar voice shouting at her.

"Priscilla, how long does it take to get down from a-" Tami yelled, marching around the corner, then stopped dead when she saw Lennox pulling Priscilla off the floor.

"Major Lennox," she saluted, but he waved it off.

"I'm sorry if I've inconvenienced your training regime, Miss Bryce. I was merely checking up on Priscilla when I slipped and brought us both down. My apologies."

Priscilla tried her best to keep a neutral expression on her face and nodded along with Lennox's explanation. But inside, she was reeling. Why would he lie so much to keep her out of trouble? Yes, he was ranked above Tami, so nothing could really happen. But still. He could easily have left her in the lurch, considering how she had treated him when they first met, and still did far too frequently.

"It's fine, Major, really. We'll carry on another day when the ground's a bit better."

Lennox nodded; then a frown crossed his face.

"What exactly are you training for, anyway?" he wondered, looking at Priscilla.

"I-" she began, not sure what to say, when Tami cut her off.

"I was concerned about the lack of training she had, so I offered to put her through some survival drills and teach her how to use our weaponry. I hope you don't object, Major?"

"No, not at all. In fact I think it's a very good idea. I'll leave you to it, though; I was supposed to be meeting Ratchet about something. Goodbye, Miss Bryce. See you Priscilla."

Lennox left, heading over towards the Autobot hangar. This left Priscilla with Tami.

"I didn't realize you knew the Major so well," she said, sounding surprised.

"I only met him a few days ago, but I suppose I know him well-ish. We don't really get on though."

"Really? Didn't look like it from my viewpoint," Tami said with a cheeky grin.

Priscilla gasped and hit her, hard.

"Don't be so ridiculous! I tripped him over, that's all!"

"If that had actually hurt, you'd be up for assualt," she said seriously. "I thought he said he tripped you?" she added as an after thought.

"You obviously heard wrong, then, didn't you?" Priscilla snapped, before catching herself.

"Don't worry Priscilla, your secret is safe with me." Tami winked. "Now, you really need to have a look at our

guns."

* * *

><p>Lennox walked swiftly towards the Autobot hangar where he was supposed to be meeting Ratchet. Priscilla had delayed him by getting stuck at the top of the training wall. As much as he wanted to leave her up there, he just couldn't. She had a split personality, he'd found: one minute she would be sarcastic and condescending, looking down her nose at anyone who tried to talk with her- then she'd forget herself and laugh at something, and a real smile would light her face, not her twisted smirk which sat in place far too often.<p>

Shaking his head slightly to rid his mind of those thoughts, he entered the hangar and walked over to Ratchet.

"Lennox, I see you have finally arrived?" he asked, sounding peeved.

"Sorry Ratchet, I had to rescue Priscilla from on top of a wall."

"I'm not going to ask why," the Autobot said with the robotic equivalent of a sigh. "But I did call you here to discuss Miss Night-"

"She prefers Priscilla, you know?" Lennox interrupted.

"To discuss Priscilla, then. Before anything else, what did you find out from her in the hospital?"

"Not a lot, really. She hasn't got a clue what happened to her. I doubt she guesses her powers have anything to do with it."

"As I thought. Now, normally I would inform Optimus of something like this first, but I believe you should be told also, as you were present when she feinted in her fitness test. I had your doctors take blood samples from her, as well as tissue samples. After an in-depth analysis, I have drawn a startling conclusion. Whenever her emotions are heighted to a certain extent, the oxygen in her blood reacts with the unknown element in her D.N.A, which causes a power surge. This surge has the potential to be so strong it could kill her."

Lennox stared in shock at Ratchet, not quite taking in what he'd just said. The words had gone in, but the meaning hadn't.

"What do you mean 'power surge'?" he asked, still in a daze.

"It could show through in many ways, I suppose. You saw for yourself when it came through in athletic ability."

"Is there no way for her to control it?"

"I couldn't answer that, Lennox. We'll have to wait and see."

**A/N: Ta da! I'm really enjoying writing this now! I hope Priscilla's personality isn't changing too rapidly. She still slips up and makes snappy, mean remarks, so I hope she's still in character! **

**Just having a tiny mini-moan here, I worked my butt off to get this written up quicker than usual, so I'm hoping for a few more reviews, pretty please? They mean the world to me, and let me know people are enjoying this fic. **

**Please review, even if you have before! And please don't favorite this or add it to alert without reviewing either, as I don't know what you think of it, and your opinions matter to me! :L **

**And now, to my amazing reviewers:**

**Katy-alice Cullen- ***looks at the floor* sorry about that... This update was quicker though :) Your silent begging was heard ;) I had this chapter planned out before I read your review, and I was so pleased when I realised you were waiting for some interaction, as I was planning on having some in anyway :)

**Noella50881- **I should give you a loyalty card! Your definately my most loyal reader and reviewer, and I just wanted to say how much I appreciate it! Anyway, you'll soon see ;) :P

**Spirited Mare**

**xxxx**


	11. Chapter 11: Right Hook

**A/N: Voila! I've just got back from a school trip, so sorry for the wait! **

**Dedication: To TheBlackRose, one of my new reviewers! :) It's good to know people out there enjoy this fic! **

**Disclaimer: Priscilla and any other O.C's are mine, the rest isn't. Don't sue me ;) **

Chapter 11: Right hook

They would leave tomorrow. And she had to be with them. The thoughts buzzed through Priscilla's head like angry bees as she readied herself for the day ahead. According to Tami, if she still wished to go, then she would need more training in how to defend herself. Priscilla had argued that she had her own gifts, the powers she supposedly had to use; but Tami had pointed out that she'd never been able to use them before. Why would this time be any different? So, begrudgingly, Priscilla dressed in the khaki uniform Tami had insisted that she wear, and headed out over to the armory.

Hazy sunlight shone down from the cloudless, blue sky, the opposite of the previous day's storms and clouds. Priscilla walked swiftly over to the weapons center where Tami had said to meet her at 8 the next morning. It was only quarter-to, but she wanted to be early to get as much practice in as possible. Her mind was so focused on her new—but short-lived—training regime, she didn't watch where she was going, and walked straight into something solid. The solid thing grunted and pushed her away gently.

"Watch your step, Priscilla," Epps said with a smug grin.

Priscilla glared up at the soldier, but couldn't hold her fierce gaze for long; he was smiling from ear to ear.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Nothing much, dearest Priscilla. Just life."

"So you're happy for no real reason?"

"You got it. You should try it some time; it really brightens up your day," he said with a wink.

"I'm alright as I am, thank you," she replied coldly.

"Just keep telling yourself that and you'll believe it. I'm off to get everything sorted for tomorrow. Try not to walk into anyone who doesn't have such a good disposition as me."

With that, Epps turned and walked off in the direction he'd originally been going before Priscilla had knocked into him. As she resumed her journey to the armory, Epps'words ran over in her head. Could it really make your life better, to keep positive for no reason? He did always seem happy, with his care-free attitude to life. But that was Epps. There was no way she could live that way. She had far too much baggage to just let it all go with the passing wind.

When she reached the hangar, Tami was waiting for her.

"Yesterday was a disaster. You seem to be completely inept with using guns, so today I'll try and teach you some self-defense instead. What do you know about punching?"

"Keep your thumb tucked in?" Priscilla suggested, not having a clue.

"No! You'll break your thumb if you do! Make a fist, as if you're going to punch someone, and I'll see where you're going wrong."

Priscilla looked down at her smooth hand and her elegant, manicured nails. She curled her hand into a fist, careful not to chip any of her nails. She kept her thumb outside, and looked up at Tami. The soldier sighed heavily before grabbing Priscilla's hand and pushing her fingers into her palm with enough strength—if correctly applied—to break a bone. Priscilla screeched in protest as her nails dug into her palm and drew ruby-red blood.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, stepping back and inspecting her bleeding hand.

"Teaching you some basic self defense. If you try and hit someone like that you'll do more damage to yourself than them," Tami replied calmly.

"Do you really think I'm going to be punching alien robots?" she snapped, cradling her hand to her chest.

"You never know when you're going to need to knock someone out," Tami shrugged. "Now, get over yourself and show me your hand."

With a huff and a glare, she uncurled her fingers, wincing as she stretched the injured skin. Tami pulled a pair of clippers from her pocket and Priscilla watched in utter horror as she chopped her beautiful nails off until they were short and stubby.

"Sacrifices have to be made to get what you want, Priscilla. You may have been brought up having things handed to you on a silver platter, but in the real world it's not that easy. Do you want your life of luxury back, or are you getting on that plane tomorrow morning? Choose. Now."

Shocked, Priscilla tried to take in what Tami had told her. She had two choices, and she knew she had to be on that plane. But was it worth it for all she had to give up? By the sounds of things, there would be more sacrifices on her part if she was to earn Tami's approval and therefore her assistance in getting onto the plane unnoticed. She'd wanted to leave her old ways behind her, and what was a better way than this? She was certain she'd live to regret the decision, but for now, she didn't care.

"Show me again," Priscilla said.

After hours of vigorous training, and repeating everything a hundred times or more until she could do it to perfection, Tami declared her ready.

"I'll have to find you a gun from somewhere. You may be an appalling shot, but it's not safe to go into a mission like this without one. Wait here, and try not to do anything stupid."

Priscilla nodded, and watched Tami head off out of a back door. She fisted her right hand, thumb out, fingers pressed in tightly, and practiced her punch. She tucked her arm back into her body before shooting her fist outwards, letting out all her frustrations.

Getting to Cambodia meant everything to her. She couldn't quite work out why. Why did she need to be there? Even though the soldiers would be practically helpless without her, normally she would have put herself before anyone else. Normally, she would avoid danger to her health at all costs, letting others take the proverbial bullet. This time was different, though. She was scared, yes. Terrified, in fact. She could get hurt; she could even get herself killed. But for some unfathomable reason, it didn't matter to her. She had to be there.

Far too deep in her thoughts, Priscilla didn't hear the footsteps behind her. She did, however, hear someone clearing their throat. Startled, she spun round and punched whoever was behind her. Red-hot pain exploded through her knuckles, but she ignored it as her eyes focused on Henley stumbling backwards, cursing and holding his face. Blood was already oozing out between his fingers. His tiny little eyes moved to glare at Priscilla. Some would have found him intimidating; some would have laughed out loud at how ridiculous he looked. She just sighed in annoyance. His tough act was grating on her already, even though she'd only met him the day before.

"Oops," she muttered.

Turning her attention to her throbbing hand, she rubbed her fingertips over her knuckles. They were swollen and red, a stark contrast to her pale white skin.

Henley marched over to her, his suck-up act forgotten, and grabbed her throat roughly.

"Watch yourself, little girl, or you'll find yourself in too much trouble for your little Major friend to get you out of."

Despite his pathetic demeanor, Henley's words sent chills through Priscilla. She would never admit it, but his threat unnerved her. She heard people talking and laughing, and Henley let go of her throat instantly. He threw himself on the floor and began whimpering, clutching his nose. For the first time, it dawned on Priscilla that there may have been more to Henley than she initially thought. When Tami rounded the corner, accompanied by none other than happy-go-lucky Epps, she took one look at Henley before turning to Priscilla.

"I told you not to do anything stupid!"

"She punched me round the face! She broke my nose!" Henley howled from the floor.

Epps burst out laughing at this point, while Tami fought to keep a straight face. It seemed that Lennox wasn't alone in his dislike for General Henley.

"I'm sure there's more to it than that," Tami said, turning to Priscilla.

Annoyed that the attention wasn't on him, Henley began moaning in pain.

"It was all her! I walked up behind her and she punched me round the face! And she hasn't even apologized to General Finchcombe for her antics at the meeting yesterday morning!"

Howling with laughter at this point, Epps tried to regain some self control.

"Life certainly is interesting with you around, Priscilla. Tami was just explaining to me why she had broken into the top security weaponry room when we heard a fuss back here. Which reminds me, you never did say why..." he trailed off, watching Tami.

She shifted uncomfortably, clearly not expecting to be caught, and having no excuse prepared.

"I asked to be shown one of the more advanced guns, but Tami couldn't find one here. She asked me to wait while she went to get one," Priscilla explained smoothly.

"Right. I suppose it'll be good for you to know how these work. Just don't break it, and make sure it's back by tonight. Lennox will kill me if he finds out, though, so don't tell him."

"Thanks Epps," Tami said gratefully.

"No problem. I need to be going, though; thanks to you two I haven't got anything ready for the mission tomorrow yet. You women, you're going to loose me my job!"

Tami grinned at the retreating soldier's back before turning back to Priscilla.

"Here's the gun, now-"

"I am still here you know!" called a feeble voice from down below.

Henley was crawling to his feet, clearly having listened to the conversation between Priscilla and the soldiers.

"Why? Was my right hook too subtle for you?" Priscilla asked.

With a sneer, Henley walked off, still rubbing his nose.

"I really hate that man," Priscilla shuddered.

"I'm guessing after that the feeling's mutual," Tami muttered. "Anyway. This gun is the best we've got, and it's pretty easy to use. Just remember to take the safety off or it won't kill zip."

Tami demonstrated how to do just that, and even to Priscilla, who'd never seen a gun in her life until the day before, it looked pretty simple. The gun itself was sleek and black, with lots of complex bits sticking out here and there. She assumed each one did something useful, but she really didn't know what.

"Then just pull the trigger. Have a try."

Priscilla gave Tami a terrified look.

"I'll shoot someone!"

"It's not loaded," Tami said in a "duh" tone.

"I knew that," Priscilla said, without sarcasm.

She took the gun and was surprised by how heavy it was. It was already causing strain on her arms after she had been holding it for a few seconds. How did the soldiers carry them for hours? She adjusted her hands to how Tami had had hers positioned, then pulled the trigger. The gun made a loud noise and jumped back slightly in her hands. Her arms were beginning to shake under the weight, and seeing she was about to drop it, Tami took the gun back off her.

"I'll look after this until we're safely in Cambodia. You'll probably shoot yourself if I leave it with you."

"I am not that bad a shot!" Priscilla protested, offended.

"Whatever you say. Now, let's go find Amy-Lee and get a plan figured out."

* * *

><p>A short, stocky man with a balding patch hurried down a long, narrow corridor, sweating profusely and glancing around nervously. His twitchy actions seemed to increase with every step he took. He almost walked by a wooden, dull-brown door, but stopped and opened it just in time before stepping into the room it concealed.<p>

A second man stepped forward out of the shadows. He was much taller, and the first man seemed to see him as an authority figure.

"The girl shouldn't be there, so you need not worry about her. Send word to me of the exact location once you are there. Allow the Autobots to dig up the Ceratanium or do whatever they need to do to retrieve it. Once they have it, you are to inform me," The second man commanded. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir. But won't you be accompanying me?"

"No. I will stay here to keep our Masters informed of our progress."

"Why don't we just stop them going all together? Let our Masters retrieve the element themselves?"

"Why should our Masters have to dig in the mud when they can sit back and wait? They will move into the area once they know of its location, but not close enough for the Autobots' equipment to pick up on them. As soon as the Ceratanium is above ground, they will close in on the site. Don't let me down, Henley."

**A/N: Bonjour mes amis! That's hello my friends, if you were wondering :L I'm in a french mood. Anyway, I hope this lived up to expectations. No Lennox I'm afraid :( I missed him so much, but there needed to be more character development for our lovely Priscilla, and I snuck a vital scene in at the end. **

**Please please review, all my amazing reviews from the last few chapters helped me get this up quicker! :D **

**A huge huge massive gigantic thank you to all those who reviewed ther last chapter, you guys are so epic it's un true :D **

**Katy-alice Cullen- **Thanks for that, I'll change it when I get the chance, by the time you've read this it's probably been changed ;) Here's some more ;)

**TheBlackRose- **A new reader! Yay! It's good to meet you, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :) Thanks, I am rather proud of it ;) I can never find them either, I sort of wish someone else was writing this then i could read it without knowing what's about to happen... Anyways, hope this didn't disapoint!

**Noella50881-** I'm glad your loyalty card satisfies! You can choose your own design, if you like ;) Thanks, and I'll try. And that was the reaction I was hoping for, so yay! :D

**'anon'- **I've researched into the 'Moble M15' and I can only see a 'Noble M15' that exists, which has a known top speed on 187 mph, as stated on the top speed website, whereas the veyron has over 250... I don't claim to be a car specialist, just a huge fan of Top Gear, so if this is incorrect I'm sorry. I've tried my hardest to make this story as realistic as possible, but as time goes by I'm sure faster cars will be invented and I don't plan on going through the entire story and changing parts every time such a car is invented. Also, if I've missed something and there is a 'Moble M15', with the unknown top speed you claim it has, how can you say it's faster? It's top speed is unknown, according to you, so there's no way of knowing if it's faster or not. I don't mean to rant, I just like to avoid factual mistakes in my stories. I really appreciate you helpful input, though. What did you think to the rest of the story?

**Minimus Prime**- Thanks :) I'ts good to see people out there are reading and enjoying this, and I'm not just writing this to satisfy my need to get it down onto 'paper'.

**xrachelgunterx- **Thank you! Here's your update!

**Signing off, **

**Spirited mare **

**xx**


	12. Chapter 12: A plan

**A/N: I apologize now for the lameness of this chapter. It's more of a filler than anything, and I'm sorry for how slow it is. But, it needs to be in there before the drama kicks off again ;)**

**Dedication: To everyone out there who's reading :L**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I haven't yet taken over Transformers. I'm working on it though. For the time being, I own nothing, except my O.C's. **

Chapter 12: A plan

"We have the plan finalized, then?" Amy-Lee concluded, looking at her fellow conspirators.

"Yes, it's as fail-safe as it can be. Everyone just has to remember their places and their jobs. Talking of jobs. Amy, don't you have a pair of Autobots you need to talk to?" Tami reminded her.

"Are you sure we have to involve them?" Priscilla sighed. "They're more trouble than they're worth."

"It's the only way, Priscilla. Amy, what are you hanging around for? Everything depends on you!"

Amy-Lee nodded before scurrying off towards the Autobot hangar. With everyone being so busy organizing themselves for the takeoff in a few hours' time, no one noticed the small engineer sneaking in to talk to the Autobot twins.

"Right, let's go over the plan one more time," Tami instructed.

"I'm not stupid. I know what I'm doing!" Priscilla snapped.

"And I'm not loosing my job over this!" Tami snapped back. "We go over it again."

Priscilla glared, but swallowed her retort. She wasn't going to let her stubbornness ruin things when they were so close to working out. With a huff, she began to recite the plan...

* * *

><p>Amy-Lee wasn't the most skilled soldier when it came to stealth. She wasn't outright clumsy, but she would never be known for her ability to blend in, either. Luckily for her, everyone was rushing around like busy bees in a hive,far too occupied with their own jobs to pay her much attention. She didn't find it hard to get to her destination without being stopped or questioned. Dodging a soldier driving a loaded fork lift, she ducked into the hangar. It was only dimly lit because of the bright sunlight outside.<p>

Standing to one side and talking in hushed tones were the two most mischievous and troublesome robots around.

"Skids! Mudflap!" Amy called to them.

They turned and watched with interest as she approached them.

"Yes? I don't know who you are, you know..." Skids said.

"That doesn't matter. You two are supposed to keep Priscilla from getting on the plane, are you not? It doesn't look like you're doing much of that right now."

Mudflap cursed, and Skids punched his shoulder.

"Not in front of her, man!"

"I may be short, but I'm not a child," Amy said with a smile, amused. "I didn't come here to save your necks, though. I'm worried about Priscilla. She has it in her head that she has to go on the mission. She hasn't got a clue how to fight, use a gun, or use her so-called powers. She's so pig-headed and stubborn, though, she thinks you need her, and there was nothing I could say to talk her out of it. I don't want her to get hurt..."

"Well, we don't really have necks as such, but I get you. You're worried about the mardy lady; that's cool. We got this under control. Our security nets are so tight, there's no way she'll slip through."

"I don't think you've considered every option. She mentioned something... something about..."

"We won't say anything! Tell us! Optimus will smash our heads against a wall if we mess this up..." Mudflap pleaded, falling for the bait perfectly.

"Well, okay then. Only to keep Priscilla safe. And you can't tell her I told you!" Amy urged them.

"We won't. Just say it, woman!"

"She was planning on getting in by hiding in one of the weapons crates."

"Dang that girl's slippery as a snake! We didn't even think of that! Come on man, we gotta check those crates out, and quick! Thanks redhead girl!"

Mudflap pushed his twin out of the building. They raced over to the loading bay and shouted at the forklift driver to stop. He shouted back in protest, but got out of the loading vehicle.

Amy smiled widely, watching them searching through the crates. As long as they didn't think to look through the ones they had already loaded, she had completed her part of the plan perfectly. Tami would be proud of her, and Priscilla would get to go to Cambodia. Why she wanted to go confused the young engineer, however. It was going to be a battle zone when the 'cons got there, and although Tami had worked with her over the past day or two, she didn't have any experience of a real fight. Trained soldiers were killed on missions like this, and Priscilla expected to just waltz in, shout at a few people, pass a few snide remarks and leave afterwards without getting her hands too dirty. That girl had a wake-up call coming, and fast.

* * *

><p>Hiding behind the corner of the barracks, Priscilla watched Tami walk up to Lennox and Epps. She saluted, as Priscilla assumed was military conduct, then began talking to them, looking worried. Tami was a good actress—she would give her that.<p>

Her knees were beginning to ache from crouching down; she refused to sit due to the muddy conditions under foot, so she hoped Tami wasn't much longer. She had to stretch her legs—they were killing her. She walked a few paces before resuming her position. There was so much hustle and bustle, no one noticed Priscilla not doing a very good job of keeping out of sight.

Back with the three N.E.S.T soldiers, Tami was now waving her hands around in an exaggerated way, looking anxious. Lennox looked worried as well, whereas Epps appeared to be finding the situation funny. That didn't surprise Priscilla in the slightest. After a few more minutes, Lennox nodded before dragging Epps off towards the loading bay. Tami shouted something to them as they walked away. Lennox nodded to her before hurrying off. She made her way over to Priscilla, motioning for her to come out.

"They took the bait. They're off to go and find the Twins—and have a good shout at them, I'm guessing. You ready to go?"

For a second, Priscilla hesitated. Was she ready? It was a hard question, really. In so many ways, she wasn't: she couldn't fight; her hand was still slightly swollen from the day before. She couldn't hold a gun for longer than a few seconds, and she sure as hell couldn't shoot anything with one. She wasn't even ready mentally. Now that she stopped and took note of her emotions, she found she was terrified. Her blood ran ice-cold at the thought of what could happen to her. She could get killed so easily. Before she could get engulfed by her rapidly rising feelings, she answered.

"Obviously, or I wouldn't be here, would I?"

"I don't know with you sometimes. Follow me, and keep your head down."

Tami didn't bother to blend in. She walked across the open tarmac runway with an effortless confidence. Priscilla, on the other hand, shuffled along behind her with her head down, her long, silky hair obscuring her face from view.

"Stop acting like you're up to something," Tami hissed quietly.

"You said to keep my head down," Priscilla hissed back.

"Yes, I did. But you can walk next to me. Act like you're meant to be here; just don't let anyone see your face."

For the second time in as many hours, Priscilla bit her tongue and kept her mouth shut. She was surprised that she had managed such a feat, and allowed herself a small, brief smile before returning to the emotionless expression she normally wore.

Luckily for them, they weren't challenged once by the N.E.S.T soldiers and reached the back entrance of the massive plane without trouble. The huge piece of engineering dwarfed the two women. She guessed this was how an ant would feel when looking up at a human. From what she could see of the outside, the plane was split intomultiple levels. Its main purpose was to transport machinery, weaponry, and whatever else the team would need for the mission. It also served as a mode of transport for the soldiers and Autobots themselves. Priscilla would be hiding in a weaponry crate hidden in the bowls of the plane. By the time anyone found her, it would be too late to turn back and drop her off.

Tami pulled on the door handle; the door creaked a little first, but succumbed and swung open. Priscilla stepped inside and ducked to avoid hitting her head on a thick, metal pipe. Tami hopped in behind her before shutting the door firmly, squeezing past her and dropping to her hands and knees. She twisted her neck round to look at Priscilla.

"On your hands and knees. The pipes hang extremely low in this section. It's not really meant for people."

"Not likely!" Priscilla scoffed. "And why is there a door there if this isn't meant for humans?"

There was no way she was crawling around like a sewer rat scampering up the street. The metal framework floor was greasy and felt hot beneath her shoes, so it would no doubt burn the sensitive skin of her palms.

"For maintenance. Can you remember our conversation on sacrifices, Priscilla? This is a small one compared to what awaits you."

Priscilla took one last look at the perfectly smooth skin of her finger tips before lowering herself gently to the floor. Once she was settled, she looked at Tami.

"Move, then. This isn't exactly comfortable."

"Try for some respect!" Tami barked in reply, but got moving.

As they crawled through the pipe system, Priscilla made a startling discovery. She felt guilty for speaking to Tami in such a demanding manner. Although she had been trying to adjust her attitude for a few days, this was one of the first times she'd regretted saying something because it had offended someone, not just because it made things worse for herself.

The journey was a quick one, and soon the pair had reached the end of the narrow tunnel. Tami kicked at an iron grate below her, and it fell away without protest. She gripped the edges of the opening with both hands before dropping through it. Priscilla shuffled over and peered down. She perceived Tami looking up at the opening expectantly.

"What are you waiting for?"

The ground looked an awfully long way down from where she was crouched above. It was tempting for Priscilla to just stay hidden up there. The look Tami was giving her, however, convinced her to at least attempt to get down. She tried to copy what the older woman had done by holding the metal framework tightly and allowing her body to slip through. This worked well until she hit the floor on her still-slightly-injured ankle. Said joint twisted underneath her and she collapsed on the cold, metal floor as a scream ripped through her throat. Pain licked over her ankle like a fire, and when she touched her boot around the injured area, the pain intensified rapidly.

"Come on. You've hurt that precious ankle before and you'll be fine. We need to get moving before we're caught. The area we're in now is accessible by N.E.S.T staff."

"I can't move anywhere!" Priscilla gasped, clutching her ankle.

Tears stung the back of her eyes as she tried not to let them fall. The pain was so intense, and a strange stiffness was already settling over the joint.

"Well I'm not carrying you. So get over it and get moving."

Priscilla tentatively placed her bad foot in front of her, but when she applied the slightest bit of pressure, she screamed and collapsed as pain exploded through her senses.

"It isn't that bad, you drama queen. Lean on me, if you must. Just hurry, or I'll leave you here. I will not loose my job over your theatrics, Priscilla."

Realizing that she was going to get abandoned if she didn't get up, Priscilla pulled herself upright using the pipes on the walls. She put her arm around Tami and hopped down the corridor. Each time she landed, the judder caused white-hot pain to shoot through her abused ankle. It hurt so badly she wanted to curl up into a ball and cry, but at least she didn't have to put weight on it. That would have been unbearable for poor Priscilla.

Luckily for the pained 20-year-old, the hop to the weapons storage area was no longer than the crawl through the tunnels above. Soon, they reached a dimly lit room filled with masses of crates stacked on top of each other so high they almost touched the ceiling. Tami left Priscilla leaning against one such crate while she set about opening another. She pulled a crowbar from within her satchel and wrenched the door open. After successfully opening the crate, she helped Priscilla over to it.

"Hide in there. It'll be a bit cramped, but don't worry. It's only for a few hours. The flight will take a few days, but once they're in the air, they can't go back. The Decepticons will already be mobilizing their troops once they see the 'bot activity, so every second will be vital. No time to go back and drop off a stowaway."

Priscilla's ankle was causing her so much pain, she hardly registered what Tami was telling her. If she was in her right mind, she would have been kicking up a fuss about being trapped with greasy guns for a few hours, but she didn't. She hobbled up tothe opening and climbed in, whimpering when she had to put the tiniest amount of pressure on her bad ankle.

"I'm off now. You can give up your pity party; there's no-one here to see it. I'll be back when it's safe for you to leave."

Priscilla wanted to point out that for once in her life she wasn't being overdramatic, but Tami had already shut the door. She heard a scraping noise and guessed something else had been pushed up against the front of the crate to hide the damaged door from view. She heard footsteps getting more and more faint, then she was left in a pitch-black silence.

Adjusting her leg, she twisted around painfully until her right foot was elevated and isolated from things that could knock it; the idea was to prevent as much of the burning pain as she could. Settling herself in for a long wait, Priscilla closed her eyes and relaxed. Well—as much as she could with the searing pain raging through her joint.

**A/N: There you have it! It may seem as if Tami's being harsh, but don't forget what a drama queen Priscilla is. Tami doesn't realise that for once she isn't exaggerating, and Tami does work in the army, so is naturally tougher than most. **

**Massive shout outs to:**

**xrachelgunterx- **thanks! and neither can I :)

**Noella50881- **hehe, writing Henley is like a small relief from my tense, angsty protagonist, Priscilla.

**Katy-alice Cullen- **Sorry about that! And I'm not sure if I can manage that... Although it would be fun. Hmmm, a plot bunny has just hopped along. You'll see it near the end of the story, if I go with it, and it will certainly entertain you! ;)

**PunkSpartan**- Well hey! Don't worry about the earlier mix up. And that's nice to hear!

**The Devil's Writer- **Yeah, once I've finished this fic, I definitely will. And thanks! :)

**FORD B- **Thanks! And yeah, life get's hectic at times ;)

**Prettty please review, **

**Spirited Mare :)**

**xxxx**


	13. Chapter 13: Discoveries

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's 13 :D **

**Dedication: to all who are reading this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Transformers, only my O.C's ;)**

Chapter 13: Found out

Priscilla sat perfectly still. It wasn't like there was anything else she could do. The crate which was now her temporary home was far too small to move around in, and even if she could, she wouldn't. Despite Tami's dismissal of her complaints, Priscilla was sure her ankle was seriously injured. She'd really never listened to her Biology tutor, however, so she had no idea what she could have done to it. It hurt more and more with every passing minute, but she tried to push it to the back of her mind.

"BANG!"

Breath hitched in her throat; heart pounding at a hundred miles an hour, she tried to stay silent. Footsteps could be clearly heard, coming from outside Priscilla's confines—and they were getting louder. What if she was caught? She would be in so much trouble. Worse still, what if she was sent home? Not to the military base, which she realized with a jolt she now called home, but to her real home. Where she was Miss Night. She couldn't, wouldn't go back to that way of life.

By now adrenaline was shooting around her body at such a speed it was difficult to keep still; her left leg kept twitching. She gripped the troublesome limb with both hands in a futile attempt to keep it still.

"BANG!"

Whoever was out there, they were kicking their way into the crates. They knew she was here. It was only a matter of time before they found her.

"BANG!"

What was she going to say to whoever it was?

"BANG!"

What if it was Lennox? He'd kill her.

"BANG!""

What if it was Epps? He'd kill her as well.

All was silent for a minute. Maybe whoever it was was gone? After another minute or two, Priscilla let out her breath with a huff, feeling a little light-headed from holding it for so long. Suddenly the door in front of her was smashed away, and a young looking soldier with cropped brown hair was glaring at her. He actually put his hands on his hips, which Priscilla found more funny than imposing.

"You're to come up to the command center with me!" he ordered, trying to sound stern.

"Right."

Priscilla held her left hand up in front of her face and picked a tiny piece of dirt out from under one of her manicured nails. Glancing up casually, she frowned at his angry expression.

"Did you mean right now?"

"Yes!"

"But I was quite enjoying it here."

"I don't care! Move it!"

The young man's furious expression was too much for Priscilla, and she burst out laughing. She leaned forward and put her weight on one arm that was precariously balanced on her knee, laughing too hard to hold herself in an upright sitting position. Slowly her laughter died down and she looked back up at the soldier, who positively had steam coming from his ears.

"That's it! You're not to be disrespectful towards an authority figure!"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the crate. Priscilla was too surprised to act and tripped, falling heavily on her injured ankle. The impact sent blinding pain up the joint and she shifted onto her good ankle with a scream, glaring venumously at the soldier.

"Stop messing around; you need to come with me right now!"

"I am not messing around. My ankle is seriously injured, and if your rash actions have made it worse, I will sue you with the best lawyer in England. I'm not going anywhere with you. Good day."

With that, she hopped a few strides away and plonked herself down on a low crate. The young soldier's face had drained of its colour slightly through her rant, but it soon returned a bright red. Stretching her arms and legs, Priscilla watched with interest as the soldier turned around and marched away. Now that she had a little peace, she gently eased the leg of her khaki trousers up over her ankle. On the up side, it probably wasn't broken. On the down side, it was very swollen, and extremely painful. Seeing it was making Priscilla feel a little nauseous, so she rolled the material back down and slid herself off the crate.

Just as she was about to try and take a step, she heard a voice yelling her name down the corridor.

Tami marched round the corner, looking rather uncomfortable and a tiny bit scared. This in itself made Priscilla gulp. She hadn't known Tami long, but she'd never seen her scared. Worried, yes. Nervous yes. But scared? Never.

"Priscilla, you need to come with us. Now. This is serious, and I'm not joking. I know Martins is a bit of an idiot—"

"HEY!"

"—but things are looking pretty bad for you right now, and the longer you take the angrier they're going to be."

"Who's 'they'?"

"Walk and talk."

Priscilla nodded, and carefully followed Tami and Martins, with quite a significant limp. Her leg was so painful, she wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. But no. She wouldn't. They walked briskly—well, Tami and Martins did—down a corridor and up a few flights of steps before heading along another corridor, Priscilla struggling to keep up the whole way.

"Turns out they have heat sensors down here," Tami said grimly. "I don't really understand how it works, but it's in case one of the bombs malfunctions or something like that, they know about it sooner. They saw your center of heat after everything had been set up. It took a while for them to work out it was a person, and about a second for Major Lennox to realize it was you and go ballistic."

Priscilla's eyes widened, her blood running cold in fear.

"Am I being sent back?" she whispered, sounding nothing like herself.

"No; luckily for us we've gone too far."

By this time they'd reached a heavy-looking metal door with a passcode mechanism. Tami entered a long and complicated-looking sequence of numbers, and the door opened slowly with a soft click. They stepped through thedoorway and were greeted by a room full of computers, screens and gadgets. Busy-looking soldiers sat tapping and typing away in front of the electronics with others milling around organizing things or speaking into walkie talkies. The room was actually a platform, elevated over a huge room below. With a gulp, Priscilla realized that was because the Autobots were down there. Tami lead them over to a section where railing bordered the platform, but no computers. So they could see down.

Standing a few paces away, arms folded, an expression of barely contained rage on his face, was Lennox. Epps stood at his side, for once looking deadly serious. Priscilla turned to look at them, and smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey," she said, not being able to help sounding a little smug.

She had out-foxed them, after all; she'd gotten on the plane despite all Lennox's efforts to keep her off of it. Lennox looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. Instead, he shook his head and glowered at the wall. Priscilla had no time to ponder over his odd behavior, because someone had cleared her throat behind her. It sounded like a deep rumble, a little like an earthquake. All her confidence gone in an instant, Priscilla turned around, preparing herself to get the yelling at of her life.

Optimus watched her, optics trained firmly on her in a gaze that made Priscilla feel extremely uncomfortable. Like he could see down into her soul. No-one said a word. She could sense them all watching, waiting to see who'd crack first. Unable to stand it any longer, Priscilla burst out:

"I'm sorry!"

"Sorry. You're sorry? Do you have any idea what you have done, you stupid, foolish girl? When the Decepticons reach us in a few days time, we can't watch out for you and try and fight them off at the same time! Now half of my team will be distracted, and I can tell you we will loose before it even begins! Your selfish, pig-headed actions could have doomed us all, doomed your entire planet! There is no time to turn back, no where to drop you off. You have to come with us, but you have no training, and no shooting ability what so ever! If you're taken by the Decepticons, they will torture you to activate the Destruction Machine, and then that's it. The end. The end of everything you've ever known, the end of six billion lives, all because your ego couldn't bare to be left behind. I hope your satisfied, Miss Night."

Priscilla kept her head bowed, watching the floor intently. She heard a loud stomping noise, and guessed Optimus was gone. Her emotions were rising like a tidal wave, threatening to completely engulf her—regret, guilt, anger, irritation, annoyance, and an overwhelming sense of just how unfair her life was at this point in time. She twisted her head to look at Lennox, to gauge his reaction. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted him to feel sorry for her, wanted him to pity her and offer words of comfort. Instead, the Major offered her a stiff, emotionless glare before turning to read something on a monitor beside him. Epps refused to meet her eyes, and Tami seemed frozen in place, staring out over the railings after Optimus.

Struggling to keep herself together and stung by Lennox's blanking, she turned and walked as calmly as she could from the room, still with her agonizing limp. As soon as she was out of the door, she ran as fast as she could. She had no goal. She had no aim. She had no direction. She simply ran, trying to get away and leave the dreadful emotions back in the Command room. The problem was, now that the floodgates had been opened, there was no turning back. Her emotions, carefully chained up in the back of her mind, had been slowly unlocked, and now there was nowhere secure to put them back into. Out of breath, she stopped and leant up against the wall.

Priscilla couldn't help but go over what Optimus had said to her. Was she really selfish and pig-headed? Yes, she was. But that wasn't what he'd said. He'd said her actions were selfish and pig-headed.

But were they?

She'd like to think she had honorable reasons for coming out here, but the truth was she didn't really know why she was out here, only that the soldiers wouldn't manage without her. But was that selfish, when it meant she thought she could do a better job than they could? She was putting herself in a lot of danger, that was for sure. Ending up more confused than before, Priscilla tried to put it to the back of her mind and explore the ship.

She stepped forward and remembered her ankle when she felt a dull throb at the weight put on it. She'd completely forgotten the joint with all that had happened. It wasn't like it hurt. It was just numb and felt weird. Putting that out of mind, alongside Optimus' rant, she moved forward along the corridor. She'd hardly gone 10 feet when one room in particular drew her attention. It was a work-out room. She certainly needed to get the emotions bubbling under her skin out, and this seemed as good a way as any.

Pushing the door open with a grin, she swiftly made her way over to a punch bag. She stood and looked at it for a moment, and a crazy giggle escaped her lips when she remembered the incident with Henley. Up until the point where he threatened her. That part gave her chills.

Concentrating back on the present, she danced on the spot for a second before punching the bag as hard as she could. It swung away from her, then violently back in her direction like a boomerang. She dodged to the left and punched it again with all her strength. She kept up this pattern for a while, ducking and dodging before the bag could collide with her.

"My... Life...Is...So...Unfair!" she screamed, emphasizing each word with a punch.

"Everyone blames me for everything, when all I was trying to do was help! I only came on this mission to try and help the Autobots because I have some crazy mystical power I thought could be of use. And how do I get rewarded for my heroic actions? Why, by getting the biggest shouting at and embarrassment I've ever had!"

Priscilla realized that her words, in fact, held truth. It wasn't just an angry tirade. She'd come on the mission to help. But her mind was so used to her thinking only of herself, it hadn't even considered coming to help as a reason why she'd be here. That was why she felt as if this whole time some unknown force was driving her forward.

"You see, I wasn't being selfish or pig-headed, but punish me anyway why don't you!"

"As usual, all you can think about is yourself."

Priscilla spun round to see Lennox watching her, his gaze ice.

"What do you want?" Priscilla snarled, fired up.

"To beat out some of my frustrations! I could hear you from the opposite end of the corridor, screaming your lungs out about how unfair your life is. Didn't a word Optimus said sink in? No, of course it wouldn't. You're far too obsessed with yourself for that to ever happen!"

"I look out for myself because no one else does! Is that really such a crime? For once I try and do the right thing, and this is how I'm treated? Well, I can see why I've spent the last 4 years of my life cutting myself off from people. It's not worth it!"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about! There are people out there who care, but you're blinded by your self pity, your arrogance and your stupid stuck-up nature. You're too busy thinking about yourself all the time to realize that if you just let people in then there'd be no need for all the walls you put up! And as for doing the right thing, how is endangering the entire planet the right thing, Priscilla?"

"And this is exactly what I've been talking about! If I actually cared about what you thought, then I'd be so upset by that! You say I'm arrogant and stuck-up; well have you ever stopped to think that there's a reason why?"

"Of course there'd be a reason why! It couldn't just be that you're in the wrong, now could it? Since I'm the only one who's even bothered with you, why don't you tell me what dreadful tragedy must have occurred to make you act this way?"

"Why would I tell you anything about my life, about my past? You mean absolutely nothing to me and there's no way you're ever going to know!"

"I'm done, Priscilla! Done trying to understand you. Done trying to get through to you. Done. But that won't bother you, will it? Because you don't care about anyone or anything. I wouldn't be surprised if you helped the Decepticons, just to get your revenge on all of us, for daring to disagree with you!"

With a feral screech, Priscilla's arm lunged forwards to slap Lennox round the face, but he was too fast for her. His soldier training kicked in, and he caught her wrist when it was still a few centimeters from his face.

"Where are your special life-saving powers now then, Priscilla?" he snapped.

They glared furiously at each other for a few seconds before Lennox dropped her arm and walked away in disgust. Priscilla watched with her head held high, keeping up a look of confidence and anger until he was way clear of the room. Once he was gone, she stumbled over to the wall and slipped down it. Head dropping into her hands, she sighed heavily.

Now she'd done it. In her anger, she'd said things she didn't mean, and there was no taking them back. She was far too stubborn to ever apologize, either. All she knew was that Lennox meant something to her. She didn't know what, though. Just that, for some odd reason, what he thought was important to her. Very important. Now she'd gone and ruined all her hard work in getting on better terms with the soldier. He'd said awful things to her, but hadn't she said awful things to him in return?

_I always ruin everything!_

She turned and punched the punch bag again, angry and frustrated with herself more than anything else. Despite the fact that she was sitting down, the bag flew backwards and slammed into the wall with such a force it left a huge dent. Priscilla gaped at the wall in shock. There was no way that she should have been able to do that. No way at all. She was still impersonating a goldfish when Tami walked in.

"I saw Lennox steam past looking furious; what have you done now? And why are you staring...like that?" she trailed off towards the end, her question fading away as she set eyes on the wall.

"We need to find Ratchet." she said simply.

**A/N: There it is! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Massive thanks to:**

**Noella50881:** Yeah, for once she's not over-doing things! :L

**'Guest'**: Thanks! :)

**The Devils's Writer: **Yeah, I love con crit as well :)

**Katy-alice Cullen: **Aww I'm glad I could make your day! And thanks :) :)

**Please, please review guys, they mean so so much to me! Love you all!**

**Spirited Mare**

**xxxx**


	14. Chapter 14: Jealousy?

**A/N: I really don't like this chapter. The only part I really like is the very start, and possibly Tami and Priscilla's conversation in the midldle. But I can't think of any other way to get the stuff done that it contains, so what choice do I have but to post it. *sigh* **

**I'm afraid this may be the only chapter for 2-3 weeks. I tried to get it out in time for when Katy-alice Cullen gets back from her holiday, and because I know it may be a little while until the next chapters up. I've hit a mental road block on my Twilight story and I really need to get the next chapter of that worked out before I do any more on this. Hopefully I can get back to this soon, as it's my favourite out of the two ;) **

**Dedication: to Katy-alice Cullen, because her reviews are really detailed, and often make me laugh. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise. **

Chapter 14: Jealousy?

"Ouch that hurt! Be careful, you stupid robot!"

"For the hundredth time, Priscilla. I am not a robot. If we are to find out what causes your power surge, I must take a sample of your blood."

Priscilla glared at him before turning away to look at the wall with a huff. The needle was sticking out of the top of her arm; it was held in place by a machine that allowed Ratchet to perform this sort of torture on humans, with his metallic hands being far too big to insert a needle. After another few seconds the needle was swiftly pulled out, causing Priscilla to yelp. She rubbed her arm, hating the tingling, aching sensation that was already setting in.

"Now, lie back on the bed you're sitting on. I need to scan your ankle."

"Good! It really hurts; I've been limping around all day!"

Lying back on the bed, Priscilla tried to keep as still as she could while a scanning attachment of the torture machine ran over her ankle. The machine beeped, and Ratchet leant closer to it to read what the huge screen displayed.

"As I thought. Your ankle is lightly sprained. You've not helped it by walking around on it, but I'm surprised you managed to, actually. It's already as swollen as it will get; the pain and swelling will go down, and in three of four days you should be able to walk with only a small limp. Sprains—even minor ones—are normally the result of a sporting accident, or landing on an uneven surface, or at a bad angle. Do you have any idea how you could have sprained it?"

Priscilla glanced at Tami. If she went into detail about her injury, she'd have to tell Ratchet Tami had helped her. Yes, it might get some of the blame lifted off her, but in the end there was no point in snitching on Tami. After all, the soldier had risked a lot to get her on board.

"Does it matter?"

"Not really; I was just curious."

"Well, I don't know how I did it."

"Don't worry about it. Try and keep your weight off it; you really don't need a crutch, but in these circumstances it needs to heal as fast as possible, so I'd go to the proper medical bay and get one. Wrap some ice packs around it as well to numb the pain a little. Then that's all we can do for now. I'll run some tests on your blood and should have the results in a few hours. I'll send someone to fetch you and Miss Bryce when I've drawn a conclusion."

With that, the Autobot wandered over to some more super-sized computers and sets of machinery. A lab assistant walked up to him and took the sample of Priscilla's blood to run a few tests while Ratchet was reading something off another big screen.

"I guess we're dismissed," Tami stated after a few moments.

"Do you know where the medical bay is?"

"Yes, it's quite near here. Shouldn't be too much of a hop for you," the soldier winked.

Priscilla scowled before she lowered herself off the bed. Then, after putting all her weight on her good leg, she hopped after Tami. They were hardly halfway down the first corridor when Tami turned around with a sigh.

"You look ridiculous. Lean on me."

Gratefully, Priscilla leant on the soldier, who helped her limp to the medical bay. To her relief, it only took a few minutes to reach it. The bay wasn't very big. Half a dozen beds were dotted around the room, each with a curtain on a rail in case the occupant wanted privacy. There were armchairs around the sides of the room and near the beds, and an office at the top end. A doctor wearing a sterile white apron walked over to them almost as soon as they were through the doors.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"Minor sprain. I've been told to pick up a crutch and an ice pack from here," Priscilla replied.

"For a small sprain, that's really not necessary," he frowned.

"Ratchet told me to come here. Should I tell him you didn't think it was necessary?" she said coldly.

"Oh. Right. I'll just get a nurse to fetch them for you."

The doctor bustled off, looking slightly embarrassed. Priscilla sat down on one of the chairs, satisfied. An extremely tall-looking nurse walked over to the pair, a crutch in one hand and a few ice packs in the other. Her hair was a platinum blonde colour and she wore it up in a puffy bun, probably to keep it out of the way. Her eyes were a deep, chocolate-brown colour and they were fixed on Priscilla.

"Here's your crutch, and here are your ice packs!" she said, sounding excited. "My name's Yasmin Dean; it's so nice to meet you!"

Priscilla raised her eyebrows, taking in the beaming nurse in front of her. She'd extended one hand to shake, but Priscilla's stayed firmly by her side. She didn't look much like a nurse, with her false nails and heavy make-up. But then, Priscilla didn't look like a soldier, and she was supposed to save the world.

"I know who you are, of course!" she didn't seem deterred by Priscilla's lack of enthusiasm. "You're Priscilla Night! How did you get on board, though? When I was talking with Will, he said you weren't allowed on board because you weren't a good enough fighter."

"Who's Will?" Priscilla wondered, curious.

"Don't you know?" she asked, looking confused.

"That's why I asked."

"Oh, you probably just know him by his title, then. He has known me for much, much longer I guess. Will is Major Lennox's first name, of course. That was so silly of me! How were you to now his first name?" she giggled.

Priscilla's eyes narrowed. She had quickly built up a strong loathing for this woman. In her opinion, she acted like a ditzy, over-friendly, sweet person, but she knew exactly what she was doing: making Priscilla feel unimportant. She wasn't sure why yet, but two could play at that game.

"Oh, don't worry about it! We all make mistakes. I wasn't allowed to come along because I'm valuable to the cause. If I'm captured by the Decepticons, my powers could destroy this planet. I snuck on board though, because I know I can make a difference. I wanted to be a nurse once, you know? But then when I found out I could save the world, I realized that I could help so many more people by trying to harness my powers," Priscilla gushed.

Tami gave her an odd look, but Priscilla stared straight at Yasmin, waiting to gage her reaction.

"I suppose I'm lucky to be here, then. Ratchet requested my presence on board because he knows my nursing abilities are second to none! Most of the other staff don't want me here, though. If I get hurt, what would they do? There'd be no one to look after the wounded. But, they realized in the end, I was too valuable to be left behind."

"You're very lucky, then. It's funny, Lennox was the one who wouldn't let me come. He must have just been too worried about me."

"Yes, Will was concerned about me too. He just knew that N.E.S.T needs me. Well, this has been a pleasure, really, but I'm so busy helping people that I should get going. I hope to see you later or something!" Yasmin said, before turning and walking away.

Glaring at her retreating form, Priscilla grabbed her crutch and took her ice packs in her free hand before hobbling out.

"Why am I not surprised that you've made another enemy?" Tami muttered as she walked.

"Oh this time it was not my fault! That little, urghh! She's just so fake, with her stupid giggle and false nails! I mean, what kind of nurse wears false nails? And all that stuff about knowing Lennox so well, and being too important to be left behind. She's a nurse for cripes sake! She's not that valuable! And calling Lennox 'Will' just to annoy me! I bet she doesn't even know him properly!"

Tami watched her ranting friend with an amused look.

"Don't look at me like I'm crazy!"

"I'm not. Is that a hint of jealousy I see there, Priscilla? A little case of the green-eyed monster? She's quite close to Major Lennox, and pretty, too."

"Don't be ridiculous! How could I be jealous of her? She's a complete fake! Stop laughing!"

"I just think it's ironic; you're calling her fake, but that's how most people see you."

This comment took Priscilla aback, and she blinked at Tami in surprise.

"They do?"

"Yes. But I don't. Amy-Lee doesn't. Epps doesn't."

Priscilla couldn't stop a small smile spreading across her face. She knew she shouldn't care what people thought about her, but somewhere along the line, she'd started to.

"Even Major Lennox doesn't."

Priscilla scoffed at this.

"Lennox hates me. I doubt he's ever going to talk to me again."

"What did you say to him?"

"I didn't say anything! He just started having a go at me, saying I couldn't see that people cared about me, and I always shut myself off from other people, and that I only think of myself."

"That idiot! He couldn't just say it straight, could he?" Tami muttered in annoyance.

"What?" Priscilla frowned.

"Nothing," the soldier sighed, running a hand through her short hair.

The pair stood outside the hospital wing in silence, neither sure what to say next.

"So urmm, what are we meant to do on this journey anyway?" Priscilla asked, attempting to break the awkward silence.

"That was the worst 'awkward silence breaker' I've ever heard." Tami commented dryly. "And normally: sleep, eat, train, that sort of stuff. But you have nowhere to sleep, most likely won't even look at the food, and aren't safe with a gun."

"Thanks!" Priscilla snorted.

She had to admit, though, Tami was right on all three points.

"No problem. I'd ask Optimus if there's a spare room for you, but I don't think it would go down too well. We're probably best to-"

"Miss Bryce, Miss Night?" a voice called from down the corridor.

Martins came jogging around the corner, looking a little breathless and bedraggled.

"Martins?" Tami questioned, watching him curiously.

"You're both required in the Autobot storage room, right now."

"We'll be there in five," Tami replied.

He nodded, before running off again. Priscilla got the distinct impression he was a little wary of her suing him. She was still smiling faintly when Tami began talking:

"Right. I'm guessing the Autobots are going to want to know how you got onboard the plane for security reasons. You need to tell them the whole truth. They can't really fire me; I could go to the press about the whole thing."

Priscilla nodded. No harm could really come to Tami, right? And it would get her off the hook at least. She squashed down the unpleasant, guilty feeling that was trying to eat its way into her head. She wouldn't feel bad about telling on Tami. She wouldn't.

Bending down, she strapped the ice packs around her injured ankle, sighing in relief as it took the edge off the pain and cooled the joint down. After that, she adjusted the height of her crutches until they were right for her, then set off down the corridor. Having nothing to talk about, they walked in silence.

When Tami stopped and walked into a room on their right, Priscilla assumed they'd reached their destination. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside after her somewhat braver friend.

The space in front of them was huge. It was easily tall enough for Ironhide to stand on top of Optimus and still not hit his head on the roof. There wasn't much in the room, apart from a few computers and washing and repair stations. Optimus was talking to Ironhide, Bee and Ice off to one side. Priscilla was perfectly happy to stand there in silence; she saw no need to interrupt the robots. Unfortunately, Ironhide noticed her and growled menacingly in her direction.

Priscilla glared back, refusing to let her terror show. All that would do was increase the weapons specialist's already over-inflated ego.

"Ironhide," Optimus reprimanded sternly.

The 'bot relaxed his expression to a neutral one.

"Priscilla, we've called you here to discuss how you boarded this plane. It is extremely disconcerting that someone with no military training could get aboard without us detecting them until we have almost reached our destination. We are assuming you had assistance. From whom?"

Priscilla hesitated. Now she was in the moment, she couldn't get Tami into trouble. After everything the other woman had risked for her, she just couldn't.

"No-one helped me. I tricked Tami and Amy-Lee, an engineer, into helping me. They didn't realize their actions were actually aiding my escape attempt."

"And how exactly did you get aboard, human?" Ironhide snarled.

"I asked Amy-Lee how to get on board without being detected. She said there was no way of doing it. So I came up with my own plan, to sneak in a storage crate. I made sure Tami and Amy-Lee both heard what I was doing. This morning, they both went to warn every one of my plans, as I knew they would. Once a few crates had been checked, proclaimed empty and re-loaded, I snuck around the back and got in via a service hatch. No-one who knew who I was was paying me any attention; they were all busy searching the storage crates for me."

Priscilla watched the Autobots carefully, hoping they'd buy it.

"It appears we have underestimated you, Priscilla. We know exactly what really happened, as your friend Miss Bryce has explained it to us earlier. This was merely a test to see how you would recount this morning's events."

Priscilla turned to glare at Tami, who just smirked.

"It seems you are not wholly self-centered, and do have some thought for others. But that is not our main concern at this moment in time. We will reach our destination in a few hours, and when we get there, it is vital that you keep out of the way. We'll assign a soldier to keep an eye on you, to try and keep you out of harm's way. We can only hope it's enough."

**A/N: Yeah, there it was in all it's dreadfullness. **

**Huge shout outs to:**

**Katy-alice Cullen- **he could stand up because the whole area they were standing on was an elevated platform, looking out over a huge room, big enough for the autobots to stand up in. I did mention this, but probably not well enough ;) Yeah, I can see your point about the OOCness, but I think anyone, even calm, level headed leaders would be frustrated and angry with Priscilla. From all they can see she's tagged along because she can't bear to be left behind, and most likely doomed they whole planet, plus the Autobots as they have no way to get off it. Moreover, her actions in the command room before Optimus starts speaking show she seems more pleased with her self than guilt-ridden, which would anger him even more. Sorry about that, I like explaining things so people arent confused. Please P.M me or drop another review if things still aren't quite clear ;) Anyway, thank you for your review!

**American-agent12- **thankyou! :)

**Pretty please review guys, they mean so much to me, they really do keep me going! I'm touched by each and every review, and whenever I feel down, loose my inspiration or wonder why I'm even writing this, I read over my reviews and remember I owe it to you amazing people to finish this. My muse comes back, and all I want to do is write and make you guys happy! **

**Thanks guys, love you all,**

**Spirited Mare**

**xxxx**


	15. Chapter 15: Testing the theory

**A/N: Well hi there... *Ducks as heavy objects are thrown at my head* I can't apologize enough for my absense over the past 2 months. Oh jeez, 2 months... All I can say is that I've started my GCSE's now, and they're so important that I can't just put my homework aside and write like I used to. Now I really have to work hard because this is going to define my future, people. I'm afraid I'm not even back for good. I just found myself with a few spare hours and although my Twilight fic needs updating much more badly than this, I just couldn't resist and it feels so good to be writing about Priscilla again. I know this isn't exactly my best work, but don't kill me people. For now it's all I've got. So, read on, and I hope you enjoy!;)**

**Disclaimer: Too bored to come up with anything funny so simply: anything you recognize isn't mine. **

**Dedication: all my loyal fans 3**

"Good evening, Miss Night," the soldier said, saluting her, as she entered her room.

Priscilla rolled her eyes. He'd obviously been waiting in there for her since Optimus had sent her up to command to find out where her room was.

"If you salute me again, I'll let my powers loose on you," she warned, her face a mask of deadly seriousness.

"W...What?" he stuttered. "I thought you had no control over them!"

"That's just what I've lead them"—she pointed to the ceiling as if the Autobots were above them—"to think," she said with a conspiratorial wink. "Don't go telling them I said that, either."

"Of course not!" he said, voice slightly squeakier than it had been.

"So you've been assigned to keep an eye on me?" she wondered, looking around her new lodgings.

The room was by no means what she was used to, but it would do for now. A double bed was the main feature to the room, with pieces of furniture pushed up against the two walls along side it. On either side of the bed sat a small table with a reading lamp and three draws. A small door led to what Priscilla desperately hoped was an en-suite. She stepped around the sandy haired soldier and flopped down on the bed, which was surprisingly comfortable. Curling her legs up underneath her, she focused her attention back on her babysitter.

"Yes, Miss. Major Lennox and Optimus Prime appointed the job to me because they knew they could trust me, Miss," he said proudly, puffing up his chest.

Priscilla raised an eyebrow at the man. He could hardly be called a man; he couldn't have been older than 20, straight out of wherever soldiers trained these days. Optimus had clearly picked him because, at his age, soldiers were painfully loyal to their commanders, desperate to rise among the ranks. He was too young to have seen how harsh life could be. Too young to be corrupted by its evils. But it also meant he was naive. And that meant he was putty in Priscilla's capable hands.

"I can see that. You must be a very good soldier for them to trust you so. I bet they've told you all sorts of important things?"

"Well yes, but nothing I can disclose with you, Miss, I'm afraid."

"Oh, there's no need to be formal; just call me Priscilla. What should I call you, anyway? I can't believe it slipped my mind to ask!"

"You can call me Jenkins, M—I mean Priscilla."

"You don't have a first name? No? Well Jenkins it is, then. So, surely you can tell me how long it should be until we arrive in Cambodia? That's not classified, right?" she said, throwing him what she hoped was a winning smile.

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt... In around 36 hours."

"So, not tomorrow morning, but the morning after?"

"Around then, yes. Why is it relevant?" Jenkins asked, clearly confused.

"Oh, no real reason. You know, today has really worn me out,"—she pretended to stifle a yawn—"so I think I'll have an early night. See you in the morning, Jenkins."

Priscilla waved at him before heading towards the door. She opened it hurriedly and let out a girly squeal when she was greeted by a bathroom. It felt like days since she'd brushed her teeth, washed or topped up her lipstick. Better yet, her beloved suitcase had been placed carefully against the wall. Grinning widely, Priscilla entered the familiar code and grabbed her make-up bag, toiletries, a pair of silver silk pajamas and a fresh set of underwear. Once changed, however, she saw the straits that she was in, and her happiness quickly turned to despair:some of her foundation had worn away, her lips were coated by only a faint pink colour and her eyeliner had smudged to the point where massive, millimeter-long bags hung below her eyes.

Determined to set the horrors right, she withdrew a bottle of make-up remover and a pad from her make-up bag and set about rubbing off her stained make-up and removing the treacherous black marks under her eyes. Once it was all gone, she coated her lips in heavy lipstick until they were a bright salmon pink colour and then she redid her foundation, despite the fact that she was only going to bed. Well. That was what she'd led Jenkins to believe, anyway.

After digging around in her suitcase for a moment, Priscilla found a pair of chunky socks and slipped them on. Satisfied that she looked as if she was about to go to bed, she opened the white painted door, and blinked in surprise.

"Jenkins! Why are you still here?"

Didn't he understand the meaning of privacy?

"I was given the task to look after you, Miss. I'm to watch you all the time, and you must always be under my supervision. You're restricted to your room, the mess hall and the gym. Everywhere else is off limits to you."

"What? That's ridiculous! You can't lock me up like I'm some kind of criminal!" she shouted.  
>She knew it! She knew they'd have someone watch her, keep tabs on her behavior to make sure she didn't do anything too rash. Her anger boiled under the surface, ready to rear its head. As she clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists, the reading light bulb sparked, then exploded.<p>

"Must be a short fuse." Jenkins frowned before turning back to Priscilla, who'd gone white as a sheet and was staring at the lamp in shock. "I'm just following my orders, Miss."

Did I just do that? Priscilla thought, panicking.

When this whole thing had started, when she'd been told she had magic powers, it had seemed like a joke. But with each and every incident, it got more real. Priscilla took a deep breath. If she didn't calm down, she'd never convince him to leave her alone, and then she'd never be able to find Ratchet and get to the bottom of what had just happened. She refused to be kept a prisoner when she'd done nothing wrong. She would find the robot-turned-doctor and she would find out what was going on with her body.

"Seriously? You can't give me any privacy, not even while I sleep? Can't you just wait outside my door? It's not like I can go anywhere!"

"I really shouldn't..."

"Oh go on. Please? You can lock the door if you like?"

"Fine. But if I hear anything that sounds like you're planning a way out, I'm coming straight back in here. Understood?"

"Yep. Bye, Jenkins!" Priscilla dismissed the solider, who was shaking his head. Clearly, he thought this was a bad idea. He was right.

The second he was gone, she ducked back into her en-suite and rummaged around in her suitcase until she found what she was looking for. A hair slide. In theory, a simple object used to hold hair in a certain place. In reality, something that Priscilla was rather adept at using to pick locks. Like the locks her father had put on his whiskey cabinet.

She skipped back over to her door and slipped the pin into the lock. She fiddled about, moved a few pieces of metal about, then nodded in satisfaction when she heard it click. She danced to one side of the door, and as she'd hoped, Jenkins threw the door open, having heard the lock.

"Thanks!" Priscilla sang, grabbing the keys from his hand and nipping round the side of the door.  
>Before he could comprehend what had happened, Priscilla had shut the door on him and locked himin, effectively trapping her babysitter inside her own playpen.<p>

"Hey! Hey! Miss Night—let me out of here at once!"

"I'll be back soon, Jenkins! I'd keep it down if I were you. You'll be in more trouble than me if Lennox found I'd slipped past you already," she said smugly, knowing she had him there.

Aspiring to be the best he could be, the last thing Jenkins needed was his Major knowing he'd been unable to prevent an un-armed, completely defenseless civilian from leaving a room.

Safe in the knowledge that Jenkins wouldn't cause any trouble, Priscilla let her mind wander to her next problem—finding Ratchet while remaining undetected by anyone who knew her. Of course, all of the soldiers aboard would have been warned that she shouldn't be out of Jenkins's sight, but how hard would it be to convince one that she'd woken up from her nap with a terrible headache and she simply had to find Ratchet? Priscilla smirked at the thought. Men were so easy.  
>But it would still be best if she could find the medic without being noticed, so, keeping to the shadows as much as she could, Priscilla followed the route she hoped she'd taken with Tami that afternoon. She didn't pass many people on her journey, and although she gained a few odd looks (most likely because of her attire), no-one recognized her. Within 10 minutes she'd reached what she recognized as Ratchet's lab. She peered in through the small window in the door and saw Ratchet reading something intently on his large screen that was set up on the wall.<p>

Turning the handle, Priscilla was relieved to find she didn't need to break in. She stepped into the room.

"Hey, Ratchet!" she called, swallowing the nervous feeling that rose in her throat.

"Priscilla?" he said, turning round to face her. "What are you doing here?"

At least he didn't sound too angry. Yet.

"Look, I know I'm not supposed to leave that soldier's sight—which is stupid, by the way. You can't keep me under surveillance like I'm some common criminal." Seeing Ratchet was getting annoyed, Priscilla cut to the chase." What I mean is, I just blew up a bulb."

Any annoyance that was building in his metallic face drained away, and Ratchet walked over to her.

"Explain exactly what happened."

Priscilla recounted her tale, from when she'd found Jenkins in her room to the moment she'd stepped into his research and medical facility.

Ratchet thought for a minute before speaking.

"The only common variable in all three incidents—"

"Wait, three? I've only punched that bag and blew up a bulb?" Priscilla questioned.

"We believe the incident on the treadmill, when you were back at N.E.S.T, was a result of your powers, too, Priscilla." Ratchet explained.

Stunned into silence, Priscilla stood and waited for him to continue.

"As I was saying, the only thing that links the three incidents is the fact that each time, you've been angry. Don't ask me how it works, because I don't understand it. But somehow, when you're angry and your heart rate accelerates, the extra oxygen in your blood stream reacts with something and causes your powers to activate; clearly just for as long as your heart rate stays high, which is why you could run for so long."

"So, all I have to do is get myself worked up and then I can kick some ass? Wicked!"

"It's not that simple, Miss Night. No illusion of anger could cause this. You would have to be genuinely angry for this effect to repeat itself."

"Should I try experimenting with it?"

"No! No. Whatever you do, try and avoid situations which will anger you. You have no way of controlling your power and we have no idea what it will do next. While you're here, shall I take a quick look at your ankle?"

"If you have to. Just don't go poking me with that ridiculous torture instrument again."

"Did it hurt while you were performing your daring little escape?"

"No, actually, which is weird. It was hurting like hell earlier..."

Priscilla climbed up onto the same bed she'd laid on earlier, and Ratchet ran the scanner over her again. His metal eyebrow ridges formed a frown.

"That's odd. Your ankle is fine. No damage, no sign of injury."

"Well, it was only a minor injury, right?" Priscilla shrugged, failing to see what Ratchet was getting at.

"Yes, but it shouldn't have healed this quickly."

"Well, I guess I'm just lucky then," she shrugged, hoping off the table.

"Look, Ratchet, I know this is asking a lot considering I've not exactly been nice to you in the past, but can we keep this to ourselves?"

"Priscilla, I don't see how that's possible. I must inform Optimus of my discovery."

"Well, could you do so without telling him about this little visit? Say that Jenkins, the guy who was meant to keep an eye on me, came and told you what happened? I'm in enough trouble as it is..." she looked down and fiddled with the hem of her pajama top.

"This trouble you speak of. It is your own doing, Priscilla. You disobeyed direct orders; you boarded this plane when you should have stayed on the base."

"Fine!" Priscilla snapped. "Do whatever you want! Tell Optimus that I was here! And while you're at it, why don't you tell him if he's going to bother getting me watched to get someone who's not still in high school to do it!"

"In actual fact, Priscilla, it was Major Lennox who insisted you were watched. He didn't think it was safe to leave you alone."

"Who's he to meddle in my business?" she spat, slamming her fist down on the table next to her.  
>Her eyes widened when she left a dent in it. All the anger drained from her in a second, she felt her heart rate slow down, and suddenly she realized what a diva she must have sounded. It took one look at Ratchet's satisfied face to work out what had just happened.<p>

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she said, annoyance clear in her tone.

The Autobot shrugged nonchalantly.

"I had to test my theory."

"Well, congratulations. You've just resulted in me ruining one of your tables. Really, well done!" she said sarcastically. "And anyway! You said it was too dangerous to experiment with my powers. Isn't that what you've just done?"

"In a way yes. But it would be more dangerous not to know what would set you off, as we'd have no way of avoiding situations that would activate your powers. I now know I was correct. It is your anger that triggers your power. You should return to your room and let that poor soldier out, and I will go and find Optimus and explain what we have discovered."

"There's really no way to leave me out of the story now, is there?" Priscilla said glumly, already knowing the answer.

"I'm afraid not."

Priscilla nodded and left the room quickly. As she trudged back to her room, she was engulfed by the overwhelming feeling that the only thing she'd achieved was to land herself in even bigger trouble.

**A/N:**  
><strong>Massive thanks to:<strong>  
><strong>Katy-alice Cullen- <strong>heyya! How was the holiday? Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it:)  
><strong>Noella50881- <strong>Thanks, here's the rather late update...  
><strong>erika001-<strong> A new reviewer! Yay! I'm glad you're enjoying Priscilla's adventures, and hope you keep on reviewing:)  
><strong>Guest- <strong>thanks! it was so much fun to write her original rebellion in the early chapters;)  
><strong>I really don't blame you guys if you boycott reviweing this after my absense, but a few reviews-good or bad- may help to re-inspire me, so pretty please review!;) <strong>  
><strong>Much love,<strong>  
><strong>Spirited Mare. :)<strong>  
><strong>xxxxx<strong>


	16. Chapter 16: Directive Beta

A/N: Oh jeez, this was worse than last time. I managed to take even longer to update this time... I'm so sorry. I wish I could give you some awesome excuse that clears up everything, but it's just real life, folks. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I'm a third through the next chapter as it is, so that should be up quicker than this one! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Chapter 16: Directive Beta

"Sir?" a weak voice inquired tentatively.

"Is this line secure, Henley?" a second barked.

"Yes, Sir. It's a disposable mobile with an untraceable network."

"Good. Your update?"

"We'll be approaching the destination within the next 36 hours."

"Excellent. Have you acquired the coordinates?"

"Yes Sir," Henley relayed the coordinates over the phone in a hushed tone. The line may have been secure, but that didn't stop N.E.S.T soldiers overhearing what he was doing.

"Good work. Our Masters will be pleased to hear of this discovery. They will move into position over the next few days and close in on the Autobots once the element is above ground. They'll be relying on you to keep the girl out of the way. She cannot be harmed, but she mustn't be allowed to assist the Autobots either."

"Yes, Sir, I'll keep an eye on her. Do I need to alert our Masters as to when the element is above the ground?"

"No, scouts will be sent every 12 hours to analyze the situation. And Henley? I think it's time to initiate Directive Beta."

Opening her eyes, Priscilla was greeted by the blurry, swimming shape of the inside of her room. A smirk spread across her face as she remembered the events that had unfolded when she returned to her room the previous night. She'd unlocked the door and Jenkins had burst out, looking both relieved and extremely annoyed, which was an odd mix.

"Remember. Not a word to the Major. I don't think he'd take kindly to your failure to keep me here," she'd said, her tone light considering the weight her words held.

Jenkins had glared angrily at her, but had nothing to say in return. He'd simply pointed to the room that was meant to have been her confines. With anair of victory, Priscilla had walked into her room and flopped herself down on her bed. She had known Jenkins had left when she'd heard the door slam.

A quick glance at her phone revealed it was nearly 10 AM. Blinking in shock, Priscilla checked she'd read the screen right. She nearly always got up well before then, and that wasn't even when she'd had an early night. She must have been quite sleep-deprived to sleep in for that long.

She went through her normal morning routine, the only difference being the location. She dressed in army-issue trousers, plain black boots and a dark green button-up top (which she considered to be close enough to the uniform to be allowed), applied her makeup and put her hair in a high ponytail, then headed outside. Her door was unlocked and there was no sign of Jenkins, which was odd. The soldier had been assigned to look after her, and she couldn't find a realistic reason as to why he'd leave her to her own devices.

Shrugging, Priscilla wandered down the corridor. If Jenkins was shirking his duties, it was his problem, not hers. There was no way she was waiting for him to find her again so she could be forced to give up the oh-so-tasty-looking sliver of freedom that was being dangled before her.

After a while of aimless mooching, Priscilla found herself facing a dead end. With a sigh, she turned around to head back to the way she came, but was promptly knocked to the ground. She felt a sharp sting in her neck, and looked up, ready to let rip on whoever had bumped her.

"Jenkins?" she asked, blinking.

"Miss," he replied, standing stiffly.

"What have I told you about that?" she replied with an eye roll.

When the man didn't reply, she sighed heavily.

"At least pull me up; it's your fault I'm down here anyway. I mean, look where you're going, why don't you? I don't know how, but I've done something to my neck, so you better hope it's not serious, or permanent."

Jenkins took her outstretched hands and swiftly pulled her up. So swiftly in fact, that she wobbled on her feet and had to steady herself on the wall next to her.

"Where'd that strength come from? Have you been working out to impress me?" Priscilla teased.

"No."

"Well, you seem to be in a fabulous mood this morning, Jenkins. Where have you been, anyway? Not that I mind. In fact, feel free to go back to doing whatever it was."

"I was busy."

"Doing?"

"It does not concern you."

"Right. You're clearly in a helpful mood, as well. Could you at least show me where the food hall is?"

Jenkins nodded and walked off down the corridor without another word. Huffing, Priscilla followed him, hating feeling like a lost puppy. She was led around a maze of corridors and up a few flights of stairs before they finally arrived at a door labeled 'Mess Hall'.

"I need to go and finish what I was doing before. Stay here and do not leave. I will return soon and you will still be here," Jenkins announced before leaving.

Priscilla was surprised, and it took her a moment to get herself into gear and go into the mess hall. She scanned the room and took in round tables surrounded by chairs, and a long opening down one side of the wall, where the food was served from. Without a lot of hope, Priscilla walked towards the opening hatch. To her great surprise, when she reached the hatch the food looked almost edible. The menu consisted of some sort of mince and potatoes dish, accompanied by carrots and peas.

After serving herself—there was no one behind the hatch—Priscilla turned around and scanned the room in an attempt to find an empty table. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single table without at least one person sat down; it seemed as if every soldier, Lieutenant, Major and Commander had decided to eat breakfast in the hall at that moment, just to make Priscilla's life even harder. Well. That was how it looked to her, anyway.

"Hey, Priscilla!"

Priscilla shut her eyes, restraining herself from shouting something snappy back to the man who'd called her name from a few tables away. With a deep breath she turned around and glared at him.

"Yes, Epps?"

"Don't look so lost; come and sit with me and my buddies."

Eyes scanning over the soldiers surrounding Epps, she subconsciously relaxed after seeing that Lennox wasn't one of them. There was no way she'd be able to face him after their row. In fact, she'd go as far as to say she'd never be able to face him again. Although she wasn't sure why, thinking back to the fight made her feel rotten, and she honestly regretted some of the things she'd said. Not that she would ever tell anyone that.

Making her way over, she kept her gaze fixed firmly on Epps, refusing to meet the stares of the soldiers at the surrounding tables. Grinning widely, he pulled out the chair next to him. Priscilla sat down and carefully placed her tray on the table before her. She noticed that there was an empty seat on Epps' other side, but didn't pay it much attention.

Silence ensued.

"Well this is nice," Epps said after a while, seeming to find it amusing.

Priscilla rolled her eyes; trust Epps to call her over just to make the situation awkward for her. Trying to break the ice, one of the soldiers attempted to start a conversation.

"So, Priscilla, what are you doing aboard? I thought you were under orders to remain at the base?"

"It's Miss Night to you," she replied stiffly.

"Ohhh!" the other soldiers jeered, enjoying watching theirfriend put down.

"Kidding. It's fine to call me Priscilla," she said. Being addressed like that actually really annoyed her, but the temptation to put the soldier down had been too much to resist. "I was under strict orders not to come on this mission. But with a little help from a few friends, it wasn't that hard to get aboard. You know, if I were you, I'd be very concerned that an un-trained civilian penetrated your so-called defenses. Imagine what a 'con spy could do."  
>"Epps?"<p>

She'd recognize that voice anywhere. It belonged to the one person she was dreading having to face. Major William Lennox. Her anger still simmered below the surface from their argument, and some of his comments had cut deep. But for some inexplicable reason, if he sincerely apologized to her, none of it would matter. She just wanted him to support her, and she had no idea why. But being Priscilla, she decided the best thing to do was act as if she couldn't care less.

Lennox walked over to the group, his gaze drifting over them, but stopping dead on Priscilla.

Raising an eyebrow, she smirked.

"Where's Jenkins?" Lennox asked, not bothering with pleasantries.

"I must have misplaced him on my travels! Oh dear, I didn't even notice..." Priscilla said with an innocent smile.

"This isn't a game, Priscilla."

"I'm perfectly aware of that."

The pair were locked in a stare off, each glaring and daring the other to speak first.

"He's supposed to have taken you to see and Ratchet in Ratchet's lab, an hour ago," Lennox said eventually, sounding perturbed.

"That's nice."

"Miss Night!" a voice called out from across the room.

Spinning on one foot, Priscilla turned to see Jenkins running across the room towards her.

"You shouldn't have wandered off like that. I was concerned about your safety. As I've been trying to tell you all morning, you have a meeting to attend to with the Autobots. Please don't try to run off again; you could easily get lost. Major Lennox," he finished with an acknowledgement and a salute.

Gaping like a fish, Priscilla stared at the lying man before her.

"How dare you! You were the one who was mysteriously absent when I woke up this morning! You were the one who I found miles away from my room! You were the one who left me here and ordered me to wait for you while you went off doing God knows what!"

Conversations were ended abruptly, as those around them turned to watch.

"Priscilla, stop it!" Lennox hissed, "You're causing a scene."

"Oh, I'll cause a scene alright!" she fumed.

"Please don't, Miss Night. I'm only trying to help you, but it's so hard when you're this stubborn. I'm only trying to save you from getting told off by Optimus. Please just come with me without a fuss."

"Yes, Priscilla. Go with him." Lennox said, glaring pointedly at her.

"I don't know what game you're playing or why, but trust me when I say I will find out. I'd watch my back if I were you," Priscilla said darkly, looking at Jenkins one last time, before turning and marching out of the mess hall.

Jenkins scurried along behind her, muttering apologies to all around him for the disturbance. Once they were out of the hall, Priscilla whipped around to pin him to the wall and ask what he thought he was going with her, when a voice called out to stop her.

"Priscilla, don't. Come on. I'll take her Jenkins; have a few hours off," Epps said

"I can't. My orders were clear: keep an eye on her at all times."

"And as your Sergeant, I'm ordering you to take an hour," Epps said firmly.

"Yes, Sir," Jenkins said, rather unconvinced, and walked away.

"We need to get going. You owe me, by the way. If you'd have hit him, you'd be in even more trouble."

Priscilla nodded and walked alongside the soldier as he headed towards Ratchet's lab.

"It would never have gotten that far. I'm not a violent person."

"That's not what I've heard," Epps replied with a smirk.

Whipping her head round to face him, her eyes narrowed.

"What have you been told?"

"Nothing. I'm just referring to the fact that you punched General Henley in the face."  
>Breathing a sigh of relief, Priscilla relaxed. She thought for a second that Lennox had told Epps about their argument, and the fact that she'd tried to slap him. On reflection, she really should have gone for the punch... But she didn't care if Epps knew about that; after all, he'd already seen her punch that sniveling excuse for a man, as he'd just pointed out. What bothered her was if he knew what she'd said. She was finding herself regretting her words more and more with each passing minute.<p>

"Well, he deserved it."

"And judging by the way you reacted to Jenkins a minute ago, I expect you think he deserves it too."

"He'd been acting oddly all morning, but that," referring to his performance in the dining hall, "was ridiculous," she muttered angrily.

"I'm guessing things didn't happen exactly how he described them, then?" Epps questioned curiously.

"Exactly? They didn't happen remotely like how he described them! When I woke up this morning he was missing, so I made a break for freedom. I got lost though—I mean this place is like a maze! Jenkins appeared and acted very strangely. I asked him to show me to the food hall, so he did; but the slimy little rat ordered me to stay there and ran off to do God knows what. You know the rest."

"Well that's just weird," Epps commented with a frown.

"I don't know what the point of it all was! Well, Lennox hates me, but that's nothing new. And why would Jenkins want to mess around with my personal life?"

"Priscilla, please let me handle things the right way. Don't go in all guns blazing. I'll find out some of Jenkins' background history, ask around, and find out if there's any gossip on him—see what he spends his free time doing. If there's something up with him, I'll find out about it," Epps promised, smiling encouragingly.

"Good." Priscilla nodded, relieved that Epps was going to dig around. Although she'd rather just interrogate him in her own way, she had to admit that if Epps could pull this off, she'd have a better chance of getting off Optimus' black list. If alien robots from other worlds had black lists.

"Wait a second. Was that like a Priscilla version of a thank-you?" Epps teased.

"And so what if it was?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." Epps held his hands up in mock surrender.

A glance around her revealed to Priscilla that they'd reached Ratchet's lab. Peering in through the door, she saw Optimus speaking with Ratchet. The mere sight of the powerful Autobotleader made her gulp. She could easily remember their last encounter, and it wasn't something she wished to repeat. Shakily, she took a step backwards.

"Oh no, you're not backing out of this one," Epps said firmly, taking matters into his own hands by twisting the handle and pushing the door open.

Shooting him a glare, she stepped into the laboratory and stopped dead when she saw what greeted her.

A/N: Please review, I really appreciate it:)  
>Thanks to 'guest' for reviewing the 2nd chapter;)<br>Huge shout outs to:  
>-<strong>Noella50881<strong>: thank you!

-**Katy-the-platypus:**that would hurt, a lot I'd think. I kinda wish you could, to keep me focussed;)

**-Lovely Rain Dancer:** Yeah, I love developing characters through my stories, and having them affected by what happens to them, so that's what I've been going for with her, I'm glad you've picked up on it.

**-erika001**: thanks:)

**-FORD B:** nice to hear from you again;) glad you enjoyed:)  
>Much love,<br>Spirited Mare.


	17. Chapter 17: Safe but not sound

**A/N: Hi everyone. This is one of my favourite chapters, I hope you like it, and sorry for the delay! This is my longest chapter so far, past 3000 words not including the authors notes:)**

**Dedication: My beyond awesome beta-reader, Blazemane. I seriously don't know what I'd do without you. Thank you! :)**

**Disclaimer: If you don't recognise it, it's mine. Otherwise, it's not. **

Chapter 17: Safe but not sound

A simple image greeted the 20 year old. For someone who had never been privy to the details of her parents' painful divorce and her mother's consequent actions-which involved taking off with a third of her father's fortune-Priscilla's reaction may have seemed rather over the top. Though with the facts standing the way they did, for once, she wasn't completely overreacting.

Disbelief overtook her as her eyes scanned a picture she hadn't seen since she'd thrown a framed version of it off of the living room mantle piece almost 4 years ago. She could still see it lying on the plush carpet, the glass smashed and frame chipped, and hear her father yelling in the background. Priscilla took in every detail of this copy; it looked exactly the same, and she couldn't quite work out why she had expected it not to.

A girl of around 15 stood sideways at the forefront, her mousy brown hair swept up in a high ponytail, her piercing, blue eyes sparkling with happiness. Her parents stood behind her, watching with content smiles as she petted a monkey. Judging by their short-sleeved tops and the bright blue sky above them, it was far away from England, Priscilla's home.

"How did you get this?" Priscilla asked quietly, never looking away from the picture.

Both the Autobots had turned to watch her when she walked in, but had said nothing while she stood in place, staring up at the screen. Priscilla blinked, and the spell was broken. Pushing down the rising tide of hopeless longing, she turned to face the pair.

"Wait. Don't answer that. You're alien robots; hacking into my dad's Facebook or whatever would hardly be out of your reach. Why do you have it?" she asked instead, annoyed, yet still curious.

Why would they be interested in her family holidays? The picture evoked bittersweet memories of the past—memories Priscilla would rather stay buried—and she was tempted to demand that Ratchet take it off of the screen all together.

"I'd sent word out to bring you here, Priscilla, to discuss my findings concerning your powers with Optimus and myself. Now you've arrived, we can begin," Ratchet explained, sounding a little disgruntled at the end.

Epps stepped up next to Priscilla, giving her a look that clearly told her to keep her mouth shut. Huffing, the 20 year old crossed her arms, but didn't say a word.

"Ratchet, the message never got to Priscilla until now, when I brought her here myself. She's not to blame this time."

The Autobot nodded, not hearing Priscilla's quiet hisses of: "This time! It's never been my fault!"

"Priscilla, I'm sorry for making such a public display of yesterday's incident," Optimus said. "It was never my intention to embarrass you. But you must understand the severity and grave nature of your actions, and the extreme danger we're all now in."

Feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, Priscilla could relax a little. At least this gathering wouldn't involve a shouting match with an alien with guns bigger than her. She was still annoyed at what Optimus had said, but for once, she decided to put that behind her. As he'd just pointed out, what she'd done was serious, and now everyone was in even more danger than the situation presented on its own.

"I know. I realize now, maybe it wasn't my smartest move to disobey Lennox's orders and come aboard. I've put myself in danger, as well as every one else. But I still stand by my actions. I came aboard with the best intentions, and I honestly want to help you. This is my world, and I don't want it to end, either," she replied, surprising herself with her sincerity.

Optimus nodded, and for a short time at least, a truce seemed to have been called. At this point, Ratchet finished whatever he'd been doing, and two pie charts filled the screen. The first was split in two, and the second in three.

"The first chart shows the normal proportions of human blood. Roughly 55% plasma and 45% blood cells. However, the third chart shows your own blood analysis, Priscilla. 40% plasma and 35% blood cells. The other 25%, however, is something we cannot account for. It is neither liquid nor gas; it is constantly in flux between the two. I've never seen anything like it, but it's clear that whatever it is, it's what reacts with oxygen to create the power surge in your blood, which is the source of your powers."

"And what does this mean for me?" Priscilla asked. "Do you have any idea yet about how I can control my powers?"

"Well, so far we've seen when your emotions are heightened enough, normally in anger, there's enough oxygen in your bloodstream to cause the reaction on its own—"

"Wait, does this mean that whenever I feel strongly about something, my powers will just, burst out? I mean, I'm no scientist, but when your heart beats faster, more blood gets pumped around your body, carrying more oxygen, right? So if I was terrified, for some reason, or really, really nervous, it would just happen?"

"I can't answer that Priscilla. As I've said, none of us have ever encountered anyone whose blood contains this unknown substance. I can't tell you what will trigger it, or how your powers will show; we can only go on what we've seen so far."

"So you're telling me that everything you know is based on what you've seen in me, and guess work? Oh, that's great. Some alien genius you are."

"I wish I knew more, Priscilla, but I do not. I was looking through your family records, to see if there was a family history of this substance in the blood. From what medical records I can find, there is none."

"That's why the photo was up," she stated, realization dawning.

"Yes. When your mother contracted a viral infection on a family holiday, the hospital she stayed in took a sample of her blood during her treatment. I wanted to see if there was a trace of the unknown element that is present in your blood stream. There was not, but I opened this photo out of curiosity anyway."

"I'd like you to take it down," she stated, her voice clipped, full of suppressed feeling.

Ratchet fiddled with a few buttons, and the screen went black. The image, however, was burnt into Priscilla's head, and she had a sinking feeling that it would keep popping up in the future. As she stood wishing she'd never seen the image at all, she was hit by what she considered to be a very clever idea.

"Wait, I've just thought: the Decepticons know about my powers too, right? I mean, you found out about me off of them. I don't know how you got hold of a Decepticon, and I don't really care, but what did it actually say?"

"I don't understand where you're going with this, Priscilla," Optimus replied, sounding uncomfortable with the topic.

"I'm trying to say, they obviously know more about my powers than you. Did it give you any hints about me? How my powers work, what they do, they're limits. Stuff like that?"

Optimus glanced across at Ratchet and the pair seemed to have a silent conversation with their optics. After a few minutes, neither had spoken, and suspicion rose within Priscilla.

"It did say something, didn't it? What are you not telling me? I have a right to know!" she exclaimed, her face setting with determination.

It was obvious to her that they were hiding something. What she couldn't work out was why they wouldn't tell her. It was her body, her life, and she had a right to know anything they knew that could help her get to grips with her powers. The only thing she could think of was if the information they'd held back would scare her to the extent where she panicked enough to run and never return. She'd surely be found by the 'Cons, and that would be that. But what could they know that would drive her to run? It was much safer with them than on her own, defenseless against their not-so-pleasant fellow Cybertronians. She wasn't stupid enough to walk away from the protection of giant, powerful aliens and units of highly trained soldiers.

Unless. Unless the danger didn't come from the Decepticons. Up until this moment, the thought had never entered her mind. But now, now she'd thought it up, it wouldn't go away. It began as a quiet thought, a mere whisper. But the whisper wouldn't leave her alone, until it became a shout, a cry that had to be acknowledged.

"My powers aren't safe. Are they?"

She knew as she spoke that she was right. She had no facts to prove it or any real understanding of her powers. Yet she knew.

Optimus let out a heavy sigh and glanced at Ratchet once more before seeming to decide that he might as well explain everything to the human girl.

"You know that N.E.S.T's main purpose is to close down Decepticons, eliminating the threat to humans. On one such mission, a Decepticon had a message for us-from their new leader, Termination: 'All your efforts are in vain; we will destroy this planet and kill its people, and it begins with the one who will power the Destruction Engine.' We were able to gather more information thanks to a probe sent to the core of his chassis. The Destruction Engine will create a black hole at the center of the Earth, but to do so, the engine's Ceratanium core must be evaporated to a gas. Only then can it power the Engine and create the black hole, but this would take heat greater than that emitted by your sun. The Decepticons think that your powers can turn the Ceratanium into a gas. But your powers are unstable, and there's a high risk involved. The Decepticons do not believe you'll survive it," Optimus said, his voice taking on a grave tone towards the end of his explanation. "I'm truly sorry, Priscilla."

She was aware of Optimus, explaining just how they knew so much about her predicted death yet nothing about her powers, but she couldn't hear a word he was saying. Instead, her ears were filled with the deafening sound of her heart beating so quickly it sounded like helicopter blades. Her breathing rate accelerated and her hands began to shake. She couldn't take everything in; her brain wouldn't sift through what she'd been told so that she could pick out what she needed to know. It was just stuck. Stuck on one line, going round and round her head like a broken record.

"Theydon't believe you'll survive it.'

Priscilla had seen people go into shock in films, seen them trapped in their own world of despair, grief or torment. She'd always thought this was something film writers did to make their film more dramatic, and she certainly never believed that she'd experience it for herself. Deep down, she knew she needed to be careful. Knew what often followed when her emotions were heightened. But she was in no state to listen to anyone, herself included.

Taking wobbly steps backwards, she turned and fled. Epps may have tried to stop her, but she was too wrapped up in her own moment to notice. Blindly, she ran. A dozen frantic strides took her to the door, which was flung open by an invisible force before she could open it herself. She tore down the corridor, fuelled by her terror. She rounded one corner, then another, and another. Not held back by inconveniences like being out of breath, it occurred to her that she could run forever. Run, and never look back. If she could just get away. If she could just find somewhere remote enough, she'd feel safe. The notion was looking more and more appealing by the second. Feeling less like a headless chicken and more like a woman in control, her head was filled with images of safety, thousands of miles away from the madness.

A rude awakening was dealt, however, when she rounded the next corner and ran straight into a brick wall. Or what felt like one at the speed she'd been moving at. A hand was offered to her, and she accepted gratefully, allowing the brick wall to pull her to her feet. Glancing up to apologize to her rescuer, her eyes widened and the words died on her tongue.

Major Lennox stood awkwardly in front of her, scratching the back of his neck with one hand.

"Hi," she muttered, poking at the carpet with the toe of her boot.

"Hey," he responded, sounding equally uncomfortable.

A moment or two passed before Priscilla dared to look up. Her eyes took in every detail of his face, searching his eyes for the anger she thought must've been there. There was none. But as she looked, words began tumbling from her mouth, unchecked.

"I never wanted to get involved in any of this! I'm just a normal girl who had a normal if not the most contented life. Then I got kidnapped by a car and told I could save or destroy the world. I thought I could get through everything by keeping as detached as possible to you all. But stupid me had to follow you all on a stupid whim to the other side of the world, because whether I like it or not, and it's probably the second option, I care. I don't know when things changed. I know, though, that I'm sorry. Especially about the other day. I was humiliated, and I took it out on you."

Her voice lowered in tone, until she was speaking softly by the end of her speech. It was an odd mixture of an apology and an explanation, though an unprovoked one. She felt better almost instantly, knowing that at least Lennox had a semblance of understanding as to what went on in her head. Maybe, he'd think better of her for it. Or maybe not.

Leaning against the wall, she flopped down into a sitting position, putting her head in her hands. Now, with the moment gone, she realized how odd what she'd just said must have sounded. They'd been having a perfectly awkward greeting before she burst out with her apology. What a fool she must have sounded. And while she'd been rambling about her life, the minor detail that it may not last much longer had somehow managed to escape her attention. Her plan to deal with that problem was just as ridiculous as her apology, she decided.

A soft thump told Priscilla that Lennox had sat down next to her.

"The base I was stationed at was attacked by Decepticons the first time they came to Earth. I survived and made for the next village along with a few others. Epps was with us too; that's how I've known him for so long. We were attacked again, but somehow survived, again. When we finally got home, we were rounded up by military officials from a sector no one had ever heard of. Before we knew it, we were fighting alien robots in the middle of a city and seeing things we'd never thought were possible. I never volunteered either. But I can't image what my future would have been like if I hadn't stayed and joined N.E.S.T. The Autobots aren't that bad. Even Ironhide's nice enough when you get to know him."

As the soldier explained his own back-story in a little more detail, she was given the insight she hoped she'd given him. It seemed as though her rushed apology hadn't gone down too badly either, which was a bonus. Priscilla looked up at him, smiling slightly at the idea of Ironhide ever being polite or nice towards someone.

"Do you trust Optimus? I mean really trust him?"

"Yeah, I do. You should too. He's fought for us, even though our government would have them off of our planet in a heartbeat," Lennox said, sounding irritated towards the end.

"I was beginning to," Priscilla admitted.

"What happened?"

"They'd been keeping something from me. I guess it shouldn't matter, but still. They should have told me," she muttered angrily, pulling at the sleeves of her green button up.

"What haven't they told you?" Lennox frowned.

"That if I power that machine, if the Decepticons get hold of me...I'll d..die."

As Priscilla spoke, the words finally sunk in. She was no longer blinded by hysteria and panic, nor pretending the issue wasn't there. This could really be it. The end of her life. A small sob escaped her full lips without her consent. Pearly tears leaked from her kohl-lined eyes. And suddenly she wasn't so strong and composed any more as the tears dragged her makeup down her face, leaving ugly black streaks in their wake.

Priscilla felt Lennox gently pull her towards him, and she clutched onto him as if he was her hero. As if he could save her. He could not. She knew the only person who could keep her away from the Decepticons was herself. But that didn't make the feeling of being held, if even for a moment, any less comforting.

After a while, Priscilla slowly unlatched her arms from where she'd had them around Lennox in a vice-like grip, leaning back. Slightly embarrassed by her open display of emotion, she simply leant her head on his shoulder, his arm still wrapped around her own shoulders. Neither said a word. She wasn't sure how to explain what had just happened. All she knew, was that she hadn't felt that safe in a long time.

**A/N: Hi all, I'm hoping to get another chapter out in the next few weeks, before I'm back at school and revising for exam week:/**

**Anyway. A massive thank you to all my amazing reviewers. I know it's said a lot, but reviews really do mean the world to me.**

**XXluvyaforevaXX- ** Thanks! I'd planned to progress their relationship a little here anyway, so I hope you enjoyed it. One of my pet peeves is instant romance, so it will be slow to build up, but don't worry, I have everything planned out;)

**FORD B**- Thank you:)

**sunnysides4life-** Aw thankyou! You're too kind! I hope this was okay for you!:)

**MiniAjax- **Indeed, she is rather annoying:) I'm not sure I'd cope with her if she was real;)

**transf0rmer-** I'm sorry for the legthy update time, again:/ This chapter's longer than usual, I hope that makes up for it?

**Lovely Rain Dancer-** I try to make her as amusing as possible, I'm glad you like her:)

**Noella50881-** Well, not exactly a someone. I hope this was okay for you:)

**Happy Easter everyone, **

**Spirited Mare**

**xx**


	18. Chapter 18: Non-Existent Perks

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it, I enjoyed writing it:)**

**Disclaimer: If you recognise it, then I don't own it.**

**Dedication: All of my readers. You guys rock.**

A sudden jolt awoke Priscilla. Trapped in that strange state halfway between sleeping and being awake, where your world is fuzzy images that don't make sense, she noted that someone was scurrying away at a rapid rate. They seemed to carrying something. Faint concern clawed at Priscilla's mind, but the tendrils of sleep lulled her back swiftly—so quickly in fact that she wouldn't remember the incident come the morning.

* * *

><p>Throughout her time with the Autobots, nothing had truly challenged Tami. She'd fought the Decepticons and won. She'd been part of teams taking down the hostile aliens all over the globe and returned with hardly a scratch. And in truth, she had complete faith that they'd be victorious once more; she harbored no concerns for her own safety.<p>

Priscilla, however, was another matter. The girl was bullheaded and stubborn as a mule to boot. She thought too highly of herself, and worse still, seemed to think the rest of N.E.S.T wasn't capable of functioning without her. Tami was certain she'd get herself into trouble in Cambodia, whether intentionally or not. With this thought clear in her mind, she decided to seek out Jenkins. He'd been assigned to watch over her until they landed, but with a little persuasion, she was sure she could convince him to continue watching over Priscilla while the Autobots retrieved the Ceratanium.

Speaking of which, she needed to find Epps, too. He was leading Ground Team 2—her team—and with Lennox's aid, he was briefing the ground teams. Heading briskly through the ship, Tami was halted in her tracks by the sight of Major Lennox and Priscilla, slumped side by side against a wall, fast asleep. If she'd been that sort of person, Tami may have cooed over them or squealed in delight that they seemed to be getting along rather well considering Priscilla's constant insisting that they didn't like each other.

Instead, she dealt Priscilla a sharp kick to the legs, waking her with a start.

"What are you doing?" Priscilla groaned, rubbing at her eyes with her hands, unknowingly giving herself panda eyes.

"Waking you up. I don't know how long the pair of you have been there, but we disembark in approximately 2 hours. Get up, get changed, and be ready. Oh, and wake the Major up. No doubt everyone is looking for him. He was meant to be briefing Ground Team 1 half an hour ago."

Tami gave her a stern glare at that.

"Don't look at me like that! I didn't make him fall asleep here!" Priscilla protested.

"I don't care whose fault it is. Just get him up."

"Wait! Can't you? He's going to go mad that he missed his meeting! Why should I have to, anyway?"

Tami shook her head in exasperation, before turning back to face the younger girl.

"Because I told you to, and I'm your commanding officer. Now do it, and if you've made me late for my briefing, you'll be scrubbing dishes for a month."

With one last firm look, Tami left to find Epps, leaving Priscilla to wake the Major, who'd slept peacefully through their heated discussion. Priscilla didn't doubt that Tami would carry out her threat, but there was nothing Priscilla could do about that now. She saved her worrying for how she was going to wake up Lennox. The pair had both clearly been exhausted and fell asleep after their talk. The problem was that they'd slept for over 15 hours, and Lennox was meant to be briefing his team at that very moment.

Biting the bullet, Priscilla firmly pushed his shoulder, wincing as he slipped off the wall and hit the floor with a thump. This woke the soldier, and he cracked open one eye.

"Priscilla? What's going on?" he asked groggily.

"We fell asleep in a hallway yesterday, but we slept for ages and ages and now we've nearly reached Cambodia. Please don't kill me. But you've got to be somewhere, so come on!" Priscilla urged.

Lennox, it seemed, had no plans to move anytime soon. He slowly sat up, and ran a hand through his already tasseled hair, looking around him with a mystified look.

"Look, you're late already. You're meant to be holding a meeting or whatever for your ground team. Move!"

When all she received was a bleary eyed look of confusion, Priscilla decided to deal with the problem herself. She grabbed both of his hands and attempted to haul him to his feet, leaning backward with all of her weight. When this failed, she resorted to poking him in the side with her combat boot. This would certainly have annoyed her enough to get her up. But despite her best efforts, the Major had almost fallen back asleep.

"This is ridiculous! Lennox, get up! You're in the military, you're meant to be used to early mornings and not getting enough sleep. And you got plenty of that anyway! So, up!"

With Lennox still too dazed to even respond, alarm bells began ringing for Priscilla. From what she knew of him, Lennox was punctual at worst and always up and ready to go. Just as she was contemplating the rather confusing issue, Tami hurtled around the corner, knocking straight into her. Most of her white quiff had escaped the grips that normally held it in place, and her eyes were wide with worry.

"Watch it!" Priscilla huffed, rubbing her arm, even though it didn't hurt.

"We have a serious problem. Epps didn't turn up for the meeting, and in his and Major Lennox's absence, General Henley has taken over. I don't know what he's up to, but I don't like it one bit."

"I really do hate him," Priscilla muttered angrily. "And something's wrong with Lennox. He didn't seem to have a clue what was going on when I woke him up. He wouldn't get up, and now he's fallen back asleep. If I'm right, that's nothing like him, is it?"

"No, not at all," Tami replied, sounding even more concerned.

"Can't Optimus just make Henley shut up until we can sort something out?" Priscilla suggested desperately.

"No. Technically, they outrank him, remember? Besides, someone needs togo over the plan with the teams, and no one else knows enough of the details to do it," Tami admitted, though much to her dislike.

"Then we need to concentrate on Lennox. He shouldn't be this out of it; it's not normal. I think we should take him to the medical bay," Priscilla said, casting a worried glance down at the sleeping soldier, who was blissfully unaware of the chaos reigning around him.

"We'll take him straight to Ratchet. I don't know what's going on here, Priscilla, but the safest policy at times like these is to trust no one. Who knows what kind of drugs they might slip him in there?"

"Tami, you're being silly now. Everyone in the hospital works for N.E.S.T. Why would they harm Lennox?"

"Because in war, almost everyone has their own agenda. Who has more experience in this sort of thing? Me. So we take him to Ratchet's lab. It's near here anyway."

Priscilla had to admit, Tami did know more about war than she did. And that was what they were in right now. A war. At that moment, Priscilla truly began to appreciate what she'd gotten herself into and just how quickly things had escalated. But still. The thrill and excitement of it all was more prominent. For the time being, at least.

Between them, they half carried, half dragged Lennox down the corridor, with Priscilla panicking for most of the journey that they'd hit his head on something or do him damage by moving him. For each of her worrying episodes, Tami would assure her that he'd be fine, and that he had in fact been in tougher scrapes than this.

They eventually reached the lab, but luck wasn't on their side and Rachet wasn't there.

"Great! Now what are we going to do?"

"He's probably with Optimus, planning for when we land," Tami explained.

"I'm going to have to fetch him then," Priscilla said simply.

"No you're not. They'll just put it down to you causing trouble, and Ratchet definitely won't leave an important meeting to come with you. Stay here. Keep an eye on the Major, and don't let anyone in. Understand?"

"Yes, Tami," Priscilla droned, still thinking she was taking all the 007 stuff too seriously.

"I'm being serious, Priscilla. You care about what happens to Lennox, don't you? Then do what I tell you. I'm going to find Ratchet; there's a chance he'll believe me."

And with that, she disappeared through a massive back door that had escaped Priscilla's notice on her last visit. It took her a moment to work out that it must have been for the Autobots to move throughout the ship. After all, it wasn't like they could use the hallways.

Priscilla turned her attention back on Lennox, who they'd unceremoniously slumped against a table in their haste. She decided to try and get him sitting on the table so he wouldn't fall over if he happened to wake up. This was easier said than done. After much pushing, shoving and balancing of limbs, she'd finally maneuvered the soldier onto the table, his body leant against the wall it stood in front of. Taking a small run and jump, she leapt up onto the table before twisting around to lean next to him, legs tucked neatly beneath her. Her eyes fluttered shut, because despite how much sleep she'd had the night before, she was still human, and the overwhelming urge to sleep overtook her.

The next thing Priscilla was aware of was Tami's sharp voice telling her if she didn't wake up, that month of washing up would triple. Her eyes snapped open at the very thought.

"For a moment I thought you were suffering from the same thing as the Major."

"Awww, Tami, I never knew you cared."

"Priscilla, it's nice to see you've finally appeared—and brought the Major with you. Now, you say he needs medical attention?" Ratchet said, appearing through the big door.

"I'm really worried Ratchet! He's completely out of it!" Priscilla gushed, relieved to see the other-worldly medical expert. "I woke him up and he was a bit confused to start with. He seemed done in and fell straight back asleep, and we haven't been able to wake him up since."

"You brought me out of a meeting of the utmost importance because Major Lennox is overly tired?" Ratchet asked in disbelief.

"Ratchet, please, just run a few simple tests? You can put it down on my record if they come up negative?" Tami tried.

"Fine. One blood test," Ratchet conceded, appreciating how serious Tami was.

Priscilla watched as Ratchet pressed a few buttons on one of his huge touch screens, operating the mechanical equipment below. A small, mobile device moved over to Lennox, and a needle that was attached to a syringe took a blood sample from his arm. Marveled by the technology the Autobots possessed, Priscilla wondered if normal nurses would think of taking a blood test from someone while they were unconscious. But Ratchet knew exactly what he was doing, and this just proved how much humans had to learn from the Autobots.

The structure that the needle had been attached to was retracted, metal panels closing over the gap.

"The analysis will only take a few seconds," Ratchet said, his metallic fingers drumming against the wall.

A tense silence hovered over the three as they waited, no one wanting to say anything for fear of breaking it. A quiet beep from the equipment confirmed that the test was complete.

Ratchet was tapping away at the screen again, and within a few seconds, he had pages of data flashing across it, which he was reading through at a startling rate. He finally stopped on a page that displayed two composite bar charts.

"There are traces of the drug Phenyloxifanein Major Lennox's blood stream. It is a mild drug, prescribed to aid those who have sleeping difficulties. It isn't harmful unless administered in large amounts, but its effects can last for a day or two if the user overdoses."

Stunned into silence, Priscilla was still trying to handle the fact that Lennox had been drugged, while Tami began questioning Ratchet almost instantly.

"And what are the side effects that you mentioned?"

"Drowsiness, confusion and mild headaches are the worst things hewill get."

"But why would someone want to drug Lennox?" Priscilla asked quietly, completely out of her element in the situation she now faced.

"I'm assuming the Major's attacker wanted him to miss the briefing this morning. Though what that would achieve, I don't know," Ratchet admitted.

"Wait a minute..." Priscilla said, the pieces fitting together in her head like a jigsaw puzzle. "Lennox was giving the briefing, so if he wasn't there, someone else could take over. Could they twist it to their advantage?"

"If you're referring to General Henley taking over this morning's meeting, then no. Many of the lower ranked Autobots were present, and they would have said something if he had said anything he shouldn't," Ratchet explained.

"But you admit he's up to something?" Priscilla pressed.

"He's not to be trusted," Ratchet conceded. "But you have no proof that he had anything to do with what happened this morning. He will argue that he was simply standing in for Lennox and doing us all a favor. Don't challenge him Priscilla. It won't end well."

"Fine," Priscilla huffed, annoyed that the Autobot wasn't being more supportive when it was obvious that he agreed with her. "What do we do about Lennox?"

"A shot of adrenalin should keep him on his feet until this evening, then he can sleep the rest of the effects off tonight. Sit down please, Priscilla. I'd like to test you for the drug, just in case."

It hadn't even occurred to her until that moment that she might have also been a target. But as Ratchet's little machine took her blood sample, she began to suspect the worst. Her suspicions were soon confirmed.

"You have also been drugged, but the dose you received was significantly smaller. Your attacker must have run out of the drug," Ratchet explained.

"So whoever it was wasn't a professional?" Tami concluded.

"So it seems. But I still can't understand the motive."

"I'm telling you both, it was General Finchcombe and General Henley!" Priscilla protested.

"But what would they gain from this? It's risky: anyone could have seen you being drugged. I get that you don't like them Priscilla—no one does. But that doesn't make them guilty."

"Miss Bryce is right. I suggest that you return to your room and prepare yourself for disembark. Lennox can stay here for now. I'll have someone trustworthy put on duty to monitor him, and once we're safely landed, they'll administer the adrenalin."

With that, Ratchet left, probably to report the morning's madness to Optimus. Tami said she was going to find Epps, as he was probably unconscious and drugged somewhere, leaving Priscilla alone with the Major and her thoughts.

Slipping daintily off of the shiny silver table, Priscilla turned to look at Lennox one last time.

"They're guilty, and I know it. I promise you, Lennox, I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Those Generals better watch their backs."

**A/N: So there you have it. Hopefully I can update more often now that my exams have finished for the year:)**

**Reviews are like a drug, they make everything better. I'm not going to beg, but any reviews will make my day, so thank you:)**

**Huge thanks to:**

**Noella50881- **Thank you:)

**Lovely Rain Dancer-** Thanks! I like to build things up reaaaaaaaaal slow;)

**br0ken silver- **I will finish it, that's for sure! I have more time now too, so yay!:)

**Crimesolver- **I messaged you:)

**Much love,**

**Spirited Mare**

**xxxx**


	19. Chapter 19: Landing In Cambodia

**A/N: Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: If it's from the original Transformers world, I don't own it.**

Chapter 19: Landing In Cambodia

The giant carrier ship had landed in a specially marked-out clearing a few minutes earlier. Lennox had been successfully woken up. Epps was found too out-of-it to understand much, but alive, well, and less doped up than Lennox had been. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

Priscilla had never seen so many vivid colours all in one place before. The rainforest was truly beautiful, with its glorious green foliage and endless array of exotic flora. Which was why the girl was quite peeved that she was currently wandering back through the maze-like corridors of the carrier ship, attempting to find her room. Had it been too assuming to think that her luggage would be unloaded for her? Tami had seemed rather pleased, Priscilla thought, when she'd informed her that she would have to retrieve her belongings for herself.

It was a hive of activity inside; soldiers were hurrying around trying to get the equipment off the ship as quickly as possible. They'd already been on location for an hour or more, and time was of the essence. One almost ran into Priscilla, but a dirty look sent him meekly on his way. She couldn't help but feel proud of herself when she did find her room, completely unassisted.

Getting out was just as simple as finding her room, and Priscilla was soon hauling her suitcase along the specially cut-down grass. It wasn't a straightforward task. The small, gold coated wheels kept clogging up with mud and clumps of grass, and the ground was uneven and bumpy. She was very relieved when she reached the makeshift living quarters, which consisted of tents. How Priscilla loved tents. Grouchily, she set her suitcase down next to an empty one, almost daring someone to come and tell her to move it. With that inconvenience out of the way, she could get down to business.

"Priscilla!"

Spinning around, the 20-year-old spied Tami beckoning her over from a hundred yards away, where the Autobots, Generals, Epps and Lennox were gathered around a table. Consumed by her curiosity, she jogged over to the group. Lennox gave her a smile from across the table, and she happily returned the smile, relieved that he seemed okay, if a little tired.

Her gaze shifted to the right, where Henley was twitching slightly, looking very uncomfortable. Clenching her fists, Priscilla pressed her teeth together and fixed him with the coldest look she could. Tami noticed Priscilla's barely-concealed anger and elbowed her sharply.

"Stay next to me, and don't say anything," she warned.

"This is Ashley Green, the late Dr Ryan Green's daughter. She continued his work after he died. She discovered the element known as Ceratanium and found the only known source—this rainforest."

Nodding to Optimus, a tall, slim woman stepped forward. Her hair was a natural auburn colour, and cut to a handy, easy-to-maintain bob. Her face was soft and welcoming, like her smile.

"Afternoon everyone," she greeted, "my name's Ash. The Ceratanium is buried more than a mile underground, but it's hard to tell the exact distance. The amount would fit into the palm of your hand, so it barely shows up on the scans. My calculations suggest in total, the drilling will take 5 to 6 hours. You'll need at least another 2 hours to excavate it. The element is very unstable, and must be handled with extreme care. I've developed a container that will stabilise the internal conditions, and the element needs to be loaded into it as soon as possible after excavation."

"The Decepticons know the Ceratanium is in this forest," Optimus added. "We will have to be on guard; they could discover us at any time. They could pick us up on radar technology."

"Punks. Let them bring it, then we'll see how tough they are," Ironhide muttered, his cannons twitching.

"And how do you plan on defending our operation from an entire army of Decepticons?" General Henley spoke up with his usual lack of faith.

"By blasting them apart until they're lifeless piles of scrap," Ironhide said, sounding irritated.

Priscilla bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh. It would be extremely inappropriate.

"As Ironhide said, we'll hit them hard and fast. Ground Team 2 will secure the Ceratanium and fly it back to the N.E.S.T. HQ. Ground Team 1 will provide us with backup on the ground. Once the Ceratanium is safe, we'll retreat. We cannot hold the Decepticons off for long," Optimus explained.

Henley nodded, seeming satisfied.

"Speaking of the Decepticons. This was captured 10 minutes ago," Ash said.

The scientist turned around and took something from one of her assistants. It looked heavy from the way her back buckled under the strain. She turned back around and set it down on the table with a clang, knocking some schematics onto the floor in the process. Henley looked at Ash witheringly, but didn't exert himself by picking them up. Judging by the look on Lennox's face, whatever it was, it was bad news.

"A Decepticon probe, disguised as a bird. It may have a signal to send out its location when it's deactivated. Even if it doesn't, its absence will be noticed, and more will be sent out in its place. There is little chance we can stay under the Decepticon's radar," Optimus sighed.

"It arrived soon after you did," said Ash. "Funny that. Nothing's found us until you have. If you ask me, there's a traitor in your mist."

A traitor. Priscilla hadn't even considered it. Surely the soldiers would be thoroughly checked out before they could join? And why would anyone want to help the 'cons? It wasn't like they were friendly characters. But then again, someone had drugged her and Lennox. Maybe there was a connection? She'd have to speak to Ash on her own at some point.

"I pick my men with the utmost care, Miss Green. I'd trust any of them with my life," Lennox said, sounding a little miffed.

"There's no man here that would betray us to the 'cons. If there was, he'd be long gone, nursing a sore everything," Epps put in.

"No one did ask you, Miss Green. Everyone has a place to be and something to be getting on with. This meeting is over," Henley said, responding to her original comment before turning and walking away.

As far as Priscilla was concerned, whether Ash was right or wrong, her opinion still mattered. Henley treating her like a stone stuck in the ridges of his combat boot was just another thing to add to her list of reasons why she despised the man.

Optimus looked as if he wanted to say more, but didn't, accepting that the worm outranked him. The group slowly disbanded.

"I'll be back in a minute," Priscilla muttered to Tami, watching Ash thoughtfully.

"Wait. Where are you going now?"

"To introduce myself to Ash. It's only common courtesy."

"There's nothing courteous about you, Priscilla. Don't stir up too much trouble, okay?" Tami said, but with a slight smile.

"Me? Cause trouble? You must have the wrong person," she replied with a grin.

As the Autobots drifted away to do whatever alien robots did, Priscilla made a beeline for Ash. Reaching her, she drew on her usual self-assurance to help her through the sure-to-be-awkward initial introductions.

"I'm Priscilla Night," she said, sticking her hand out.

"Ash, but you already know that," she shook Priscilla's hand enthusiastically.

"I wanted to ask you about what you said earlier, about there being a traitor. Do you think it's possible?"

Ash looked around, as if checking who was in earshot before replying.

"Yes, definitely. Where there's power or wealth involved, there's always a temptation. Who knows what the Decepticons could offer? Why do you ask?"

The safest policy at times like these is to trust no one… Tami's words echoed through Priscilla's head. Tami wouldn't tell Ash anything. Tami wouldn't trust someone she'd just met. But she wasn't Tami. Priscilla hadn't made a habit of listening to advice before, and she wasn't about to start now.

"I was drugged earlier. I think I know who's behind it, but I can't think why they'd do it apart from simple dislike. I need proof, and if there is a traitor, there must be a link somewhere."

"For sure." Ash agreed. "You know, the traitor may be the very person that drugged you?"

"You know, I hadn't thought of that. Somehow I just can't imagine it. They're in it for their own ends, but they just seem so… I don't know. I just can't see it."

"A traitor would have to be a good actor or actress, or they'd be caught straight away. It's often the last person you expect," Ash pointed out. "Anyway, I need to oversee the insertion of the drill, or it'll go in the wrong place. I'll give you a shout if I hear anything."

"Thanks."

Priscilla watched as the genius-of-a-woman walked away, before her attention was grabbed by Epps.

"Hey, Priscilla, come round here a minute," he shouted loudly.

Priscilla rolled her eyes at him before weaving her way through those who remained to reach him and Lennox. A strange nervousness tugged at her stomach as she did so, but she put it down to what was going on around them and the imminent arrival of the 'cons. She came to a stop next to Epps, trying to ignore the seemingly everlasting tension between her and Lennox. The last time they'd spoke, she'd broken down, and they'd ended up asleep side by side—a fairly compromising position. But they'd at least got over their petty squabble.

Priscilla was mentally weary from constantly being on edge and tense around the soldier. He was only a normal man, after all. She needed to stop being such a pansy and act normally.

"I hear you got drugged too," Epps said, suddenly taking on a serious tone.

"Yeah. It wasn't a heavy dose though, so I'm fine—just a little drowsy. Lennox got the worst of it," she said, shooting the other soldier a sympathetic look.

"If I find out who it was, I swear..." Lennox muttered angrily, his hand twitching towards his gun, which he seemed to carry at all times.

"I know exactly who it was; I just need to prove it," Priscilla said darkly, staring off in the direction Henley had disappeared in.

"Major Lennox, Sergeant Epps," Tami saluted, appearing next to the group. "Are you still banging on about General Henley?" she added to Priscilla.

Priscilla spluttered, but didn't reply, knowing without evidence Tami would easily shoot down any thing she came up with.

"How are you feeling after your ordeal, Sergeant?" Tami asked with a smirk.

"I went through an ordeal too!" Priscilla protested, but quietened after the look Tami gave her.

"Me? I'm on top of the world. I found out half an hour ago that I'd been drugged and stuffed under my bed, then wrapped up with my sheets," Epps replied sarcastically.

A small giggle bubbled out of Priscilla at this point. Tami and Lennox were laughing too, clearly finding Epps' misfortune amusing. As funny as the situation was, however, it threw a spanner in the works. Henley may have been a complete idiot, but Finchecombe would be pulling the strings, and he would never allow such a thing to be done. The intimidating one out of the pair had elected to stay at the N.E.S.T. base, saying someone had to keep things running. Priscilla thought it was a terrible idea to leave him there unmonitored. Who knew what he'd get up to? But then, she hated him, so was ever so slightly biased.

The group soon sobered up, the weight of the situation resettling itself upon their already-burdened shoulders.

"I should probably go and monitor my team. They're meant to be helping unload the drill, but Ironhide scares them, and half the time they make excuses to keep out of his way. That's you, Tami. Later," Epps bid them goodbye.

Tami made a disgruntled squeaking sound at being unduly embarrassed, but followed him anyway.

"I should probably be off, too," Lennox admitted, looking around at the camp, which was coming together remarkably quickly.

"Yeah, there's probably something I could do, somewhere, probably..." Priscilla replied, trailing off.

She was too busy trying to make sense ofher sudden feelings of disappointment to finish the sentence properly.

"Aren't you meant to have someone assigned to look after you?"

"Don't remind me..." Priscilla moaned, hating the idea of being babysat. Again.

"Then you can come with me. I need to speak with Optimus anyway, and we can sort out your guard."

"Oh, excellent."

"I thought you'd be pleased."

**A/N: Hey dudes. This isn't my favourite chapter in terms of the plot line, as it's all setting up the ground mission so nothing much happens. I am however more pleased with the character development *grins widely*.**

**I'm on holiday for the first two weeks of the summer holidays. I'm very excited:) I'm going to try and write as much of chapter 21 as I can before we leave, but the update will take longer than this one.**

**Thank you to br0kensilver for your lovely review! You speak the truth my friend, he's gorgeous. Have you seen Safe Haven? I nearly fainted at one point. Josh Duhamel, oh my... Aw, thanks :)**

**I understand that I have to work for my reviews, so I tried to make this as amusing as possible, while getting it out in time. But please, feed the animals? This one thrives on a diet of constructive criticism and reader opinions. I love hearing your thoughts, so please, drop me a review? Thank you :)**

**Peace out,**  
><strong>Spirited Mare<strong>  
><strong>xxxx<strong>


	20. Chapter 20: Babysitting Duties

**Disclaimer: I own only the original content.**

Chapter 20: Babysitting Duties

Lennox led Priscilla through the sprawling, maze—like camp. It was a mishmash of tents, equipment, weaponry stations and Autobot facilities, arranged around an empty central area, like a doughnut. This cleared space was to be the drill site, Lennox had explained. According to him, if it was surrounded on all fronts, it was more defendable. The thought of fighting off a horde of Decepticons had filled Priscilla with a sudden feeling of dread, so she quickly distracted herself.

"So where's Optimus?"

"Over there."

Lennox pointed to where Optimus, Bee, Ironhide and Ice were each moving what Priscilla guessed to be the drill. A large pathway had been left in the camp so they could bring the drill in. Each Autobot had a section, balanced precariously on one shoulder (Ice) or carried with one hand in a surprisingly casual way (Ironhide). Each piece was slotted into the ground, like a piece of flat-pack furniture.

A small smile spread across Priscilla's face. She'd missed the sky blue Autobot; it had been a while since they'd spoken properly. She's have to remedy that when she got the chance. Optimus set his part of the drill down first before walking swiftly over to Lennox and Priscilla.

"Lennox, Priscilla," he greeted each with a nod. "It's good to see you've recovered."

"If only there was nothing to recover from," Lennox muttered. "Optimus, a few days ago you mentioned a guard for Priscilla?"

"Yes. Martins will be assigned to watch you, Priscilla."

"Not Jenkins?"

Optimus sighed. "Now you've asked, I see no point in lying. Jenkins is under observation, after Sergeant Epps filed a complaint. It's not something that should become common knowledge, Priscilla. We don't want him acting differently because he knows he's being watched."

"I get it. I won't say a word."

"For that you have my thanks."

"Where can I find Martins?"

"He's helping to set up the generator; I saw him earlier," Lennox supplied.

"Seeing as you're here, you can help him," Optimus said firmly, seeming to be remembering Priscilla's stowaway behaviour.

"I've got nothing better to do," Priscilla admitted, "so I guess I might as well."

"Optimus, do you know where I can find Ratchet?" Lennox asked.

"Still on the carrier I believe."

"Thanks," and then to Priscilla. "I'll see you later. Try not to scare Martins too much."

"I can't promise anything," Priscilla joked back, smiling.

"I'll take my leave, too. Try not to break the equipment, Priscilla. It's specialized and hard to replace," Optimus said with the faintest taste of humour.

With Lennox making a beeline for the carrier and Optimus heading in the opposite direction, Priscilla was left standing alone. She felt rather like a spare part being so uselessly still while all around her tasks were being completed with frantic speed, so she headed off in search of Martins. As she walked, she couldn't help but think back to Optimus' final statement.

Had he actually been joking? Was there a chance that the Autobot leader was finally warming to her? Priscilla wasn't sure, but the idea did make her smile. She'd been so determined to hate everyone and have everyone hate her in return when this escapade had begun. But with Optimus, she'd been far too successful. Between her rudeness and complete disregard for his authority, she wasn't surprised they'd never seen eye to eye.

She spied Martins working at the far side of the drill. His brown hair was tussled, and he'd rolled his sleeves right back in an attempt to ward off the intense heat. The very same heat was hassling Priscilla, too. A few renegade hairs had escaped her sleek ponytail and now hung around her face messily. The smallest trickle of perspiration ran down her temple. Her first job when she got back to her tent would beto change out of her military-edition cargo pants and into some shorts. Rules be damned; it was just too hot. Wiping at her forehead with the back of a hand, she came to a stop in front of Martins.

"Hey. You're meant to be watching over me, right?"

"Yes, Miss, I was going to find you after I'd finished this."

"It's fine. I'll help you if you want?"

Martins blinked at her. Clearly he'd been expecting her to be much less helpful, and at the least to offer a snide remark or two. Or maybe offer to sue him. Again.

"Or I can just go and help someone else? I'm sure they'd love to get their work done in half the time?" Priscilla trailed off, eyebrows raised in question.

"No, no, your help would be greatly appreciated," Martins said hurriedly.

"So, what are you doing?"

"I'm unloading the equipment for the generator. It needs sorting into two piles: one for parts of the generator, one for parts of the stand."

Martins pointed to each pile. The task looked simple enough—if Priscilla could tell the two types of metal objects apart. Which she couldn't. She often found herself wondering which pile to put some piece or another in, so much of the time was taken up by her asking and Martins answering. Progress was made, even if just by a small amount, and by the time they were finished, Priscilla was sure she could just about tell a valve from a screw. Just.

After the job was complete, Martins explained that his only remaining orders were to watch her and make sure she kept out of harm's way when the inevitable fighting began.

"Then I'm going to find Ice. Do you know where she is?"

"No, I haven't seen her since she was unloading the drill bits a few hours ago. You do know I'll have to come with you?"

"Yes, I figured. If we head over to the carrier ship, I'm sure we'll find her." Priscilla's logic held more than a few holes, but Martins wisely didn't point them out.

The pair walked in silence, neither with anything to say to the other. Martins would much rather still be working than looking after Priscilla. As far as he was concerned, she was stubborn andunpleasant and hadno right to even be there. Priscilla felt quite ridiculous with Martins following her round like a puppy. In her opinion she didn't need guarding; she was 20 years old and perfectly capable of looking after herself.

By the time they reached the ship, the atmosphere between them had taken a turn for the worse, fed by the awkward and impenetrable silence.

"Ice isn't here," Martins stated.

No one was there. They stood in the shadow of the colossal carrier ship, looking around. Everything had long since been unloaded, and now the activity was based around the camp behind them.

"Well observed," an irritated Priscilla remarked.

There wasn't much she hated more than being wrong, and she certainly hadn't been correct on this account. Turning quickly, she stalked back to the camp, Martins trailing after her. She was almost there when a flash of light blue caught the corner of her eye. She turned and sprinted off in that direction, grinning widely at the sight of Ice. Martins shouted in protest about running in the heat, but Priscilla paid him no heed.

Coming to a stop next to the friendly female Autobot, Priscilla stopped to catch her breath.

"I am so glad to see you!" Priscilla got out between each sharp inhalation.

"What have I done now?" Ice asked warily.

"Nothing at all. He," she pointed at Martins, who was jogging after her, "is the most annoying human being in the world."

"Priscilla, I think you're exaggerating."

Priscilla held up her fingers a millimeter apart to demonstrate just how much she was exaggerating. Ice watched her in amusement.

"Okay, maybe I am!" Priscilla admitted. "But I'm still really pleased to see you!"

"Miss, can I please ask you to walk next time?" an overheated Martins requested, coming to a standstill beside Priscilla.

"For goodness' sake, stop calling me Miss! It's Priscilla; how many times do I have to tell you lot that?"

"You sound stressed," Ice observed.

"It's the heat!" Priscilla complained. "It's really getting to me. It's normally cold in England, you know!"

"I'm sure it is. Is there anything you wanted to see me about?"

"Not really. I just wanted to chat," Priscilla said, poking at the ground with her shoe to avoid looking at the Autobot.

"You're so sweet!"

"Shut up."

"That would defeat the purpose of this chat if I can't speak?"

"You're supposed to be making me feel happier, not being as annoying as Martins!"

"That wasn't in the job description..."  
>"Ice, when did you get so snarky?"<p>

"I learnt off the master, a human friend of mine. She's quite the expert."

Priscilla couldn't help but smile, realizing Ice was referring to her. Unfortunately, she was now paying the price for running over. Sweat was trickling down her spine, and she was so hot she was sure she'd cook like a chicken soon.

"I need to go and change into some shorts; I'm boiling," Priscilla complained, shaking at the fabric of her shirt in an attempt to cool herself down.

"You do look quite pink," Ice replied.

"Then I'm off. See you around."

Priscilla scurried back off towards her tent, Martins alongside her. Once they reached her new, green, considerably-smaller home, the girl turned to face her guard.

"Wait out here while I change. If you look, even for a second, you'll seriously regret it," Priscilla warned, deadly serious.

Ducking under the flaps, Priscilla untied the strings so the thin material fell over the doorway, obscuring her from view. She proceeded to change out of her clingy, sweat-soaked military-issue trousers and into a pair of cooler denim shorts. Smoothing out her green button up top, she pushed her way through the folds of fabric until she was stood in front of Martins once more.

"Lunch is being served in the temporary cafeteria. Do you want to head over there now?" Martins suggested.

"Sure, why not? I just love the food you people cook."

* * *

><p>Peering into Ratchet's med lab, Lennox spotted the Autobot he'd been searching for—he was working near the back." Stepping inside, Lennox headed straight for the rear.<p>

"Ratchet?"

"Lennox. I'm pleased you came for your checkup. How do you feel?"

"I've felt better. Lightheaded, drowsy, bouts of sickness," the soldier pulled a face, "but I guess it could have been worse."

Ratchet nodded and got to work setting up his scanning equipment.

"The drug, are there stores of it on board?" Lennox queried.

"I expect there's some in the Medical Bay, but there's nothing on the CCTV tapes. Whoever it was brought the substance onto the ship. There wasn't CCTV in Epps' room for privacy reasons, and the tapes from the footage of the corridor you were found in are missing."

"Are you saying there's no way to find the culprit?"

"We've got people working on it, but until there's a new lead, we can't find anything, no."

Lennox understood that the nature of their situation meant there were hardly men to spare to look into the issue. But he wanted to know who'd been behind the attack so he could reward them with a broken nose. And find out their motives, of course. Ratchet pronounced him fine to leave, so Lennox thanked him and was gone. With a burdened mind and a heavier heart, he headed back towards camp.

**A/N: Hi everyone. There isn't an easy way to say something like this, so I'm going to get on with it. This story is going on hiatus. At the minute I am just ****_not_**** feeling it. I love this story, and the last thing I want to do is ruin it by posting half decent, uninspired chapters that make me cringe. As I write this fic I can feel my writing going downhill, and my muse might as well have jumped off a cliff. I know recent chapters haven't been up to scratch from the big drop in reviews, and if I force myself to continue the quality is going to drop even more. And that's not fair on any of you.**

**This story WILL be continued. There's no way I'm leaving it, because I love this fic, and I'd like to think some people out there are interested to see how Priscilla's adventure ends.**

**I'm taking a small break from the world of Transformers, and I'm going to mess around for a few weeks writing new things and planning out some of my ideas.**

**I'm also going to spend some time working on the plot line for this story, because that's where the problems stem from. In my naivety I thought I could pull off something like this- with multiple story lines and intricate characters- with a few lines of planning. I can't.**

**If you guys are angry and annoyed about this, or with me, I understand. I've felt that way when stories I've been reading have been put on hiatus. But honestly, I'm not going to ruin this story, so for now I'm leaving it alone.**

**I'd like to take the time now to thank everyone who's ever read this. What can I say? You guys are amazing. You're beyond amazing. I owe you a lot, and I hope you can stick with me on this.**

**Sprited Mare**


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